How to fix app not working on Windows 11

Do you have an app not working correctly? Here are two ways to reset it on Windows 11.

Windows 11 reset apps
Windows 11 reset apps / Image: Mauro Huculak
  • To repair or reset an app on Windows 11, open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, open the app with the “Advanced options” settings, click the “Repair” button, and then click the “Reset” button.
  • Alternatively, you can use the “Get-AppxPackage “App-Name” | Reset-AppxPackage” command in PowerShell.

On Windows 11, when an app isn’t opening or not working for any reason, you can reset it to its default settings to resolve the most common issues, and you can complete this process in at least two ways, including using the Settings app and PowerShell.

The Settings app lets you quickly reset modern apps from the Microsoft Store. On the other hand, with the Settings app, it is not possible to reset all apps or even certain system components like the Start menu, and in these situations, that’s when you can use the reset command on PowerShell to fix problems with or components unavailable in the Settings app.

In this guide, I will teach you the steps to reset an app to fix issues on Windows 11.

Fix problems with apps on Windows 11 from Settings

To repair or reset an app on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings on Windows 11.

  2. Click on Apps.

  3. Click the Installed apps tab.

  4. Select the app to reset on Windows 11.

  5. Click the menu (three-dotted) button on the left side and click on Advanced options.

    Advanced options

  6. (Option 1) Click the Repair button to fix problems without affecting the app’s data.

  7. (Option 2) Click the Reset button to resolve issues by deleting the app’s data and resetting settings to default.
    Windows 11 reset app

Once you complete the steps, the app’s data will be deleted, depending on the reset option. Upon launching the app again, you may need to log into the service and configure your settings again. This method only works for specific apps available through the Microsoft Store.

Fix problems with apps on Windows 11 from PowerShell

To reset an app with PowerShell commands on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Type the following command to view all installed apps and components and press Enter:

    Get-AppxPackage | Select name

    PowerShell installed apps command

  4. Confirm the name of the app to reset on Windows 11.

  5. Type the following command to reset the Windows 11 app and press Enter:

    Get-AppxPackage "Microsoft Teams" | Reset-AppxPackage

    PowerShell reset app command

    In the command, replace “Microsoft Teams” with the name of the app you want to reset, which you identified in step 3.

    Important: When resetting an app with PowerShell, the app’s data will also be deleted.

After you complete the steps, the app will reset and should start working correctly. In addition, you can uninstall apps using PowerShell and various other methods to reset apps.

If the app in question is the Microsoft Store, you can use these instructions to fix it. You can also refer to these steps to fix problems with the Outlook app or these instructions to reset the Settings app.

Update May 13, 2024: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.

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 15 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 21 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. Email him at [email protected].