Windows 8 apps will not open on click? Here’s how to fix it

Windows 8 - Start Screen

Here is the fix for those Windows 8 apps that will not open on click.

In Windows 8 Developer Preview many users are having the issue that when they click an app tile, for those new immersive Metro designed full-screen apps, nothing will happen — they will not launched. This behavior occurs when having a screen resolution that doesn’t meet the minimum requirements to launch applications in the Modern UI, which it should be 1024×768 and higher. 

You can change your screen resolution by going to the Control Panel, selecting More Settings, and then selecting Display when the Desktop Control Panel comes up. If your device does not support resolutions of 1024×768 or higher, you can always connect the device to an external monitor that is capable of those resolutions.

Make sure that your machine meets the minimum requirements:

  • 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
  • 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
  • 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
  • DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
  • Taking advantage of touch input requires a screen that supports multi-touch
About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.