Can’t uninstall or update your Microsoft Store apps? Weird Windows 10 bug has just been fixed, thankfully

Microsoft makes it clear this wasn’t a problem with a Windows 10 update

News By Darren Allan published 22 November 2024

• Microsoft Store apps can’t be updated or uninstalled due to a bug
• Thankfully Microsoft has now fixed the problem related to WinAppSDK
• The cure is in a Windows 10 optional update, so you may want to wait

Some Windows 10 users have been experiencing an odd bug with the operating system having problems running updates for apps from the Microsoft Store – but this issue has now been sorted.

Neowin reports that Windows 10 22H2 had a bug which meant that in some cases, apps from the Microsoft Store couldn’t be updated – or uninstalled, either – but a resolution for this has now been applied (as of November 21).

Microsoft explains that this wasn’t an issue with Windows 10 itself, but rather with the latest version of WinAppSDK. Those who received version 1.6.2, on November 12, or later – which may have been installed by an app that requires WinAppSDK, as it’ll pull down the latest version – may have been hit by the bug.

Those who’ve seen the issue will have noticed that updates fail with an unhelpful error message (‘Something happened on our end’) displayed in the downloads panel of the Microsoft Store.

Microsoft clarified that “this issue is not caused by a Windows security or preview monthly update,” while informing users that the fix for this is in the new Windows 10 update, KB5046714, which has just been released.

Analysis: Something happened… or not

Note that KB5046714 is an optional update for Windows 10, so it could have some bugs itself. If you’re worried about installing a preview release, you can always wait for the full version of the patch, which will be here next month (on December 10, to be precise).

Still, in this case, if you’re hit by the Microsoft Store bug and you aren’t getting any updates for your software from the store, grabbing the optional patch may be worth the risk (find it under Windows Updates, as ever).

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