Store-installed UWP apps (Photos, Copilot) won’t launch despite full system repair

J-L Walnier 40 Reputation points
2025-10-15T12:17:27.26+00:00

Subject: UWP apps (Photos, Copilot Store) fail to launch despite full Windows reinstallation

Issue description: On two separate PCs (desktop and laptop), the Photos app fails to launch. I recently discovered that Copilot installed via the Microsoft Store behaves identically: the app does not open. However, Copilot works fine via Edge. This issue persists regardless of the user account (local, Microsoft, newly created test account).

Tests already performed:

  • Resetting Photos and Copilot via Settings > Apps
  • Full Windows 10 reinstallation via in-place upgrade using official ISO
  • Creation of fresh local and Microsoft accounts (tested on both machines)
  • Deactivation and reactivation of Microsoft account sync
  • Verification of UWP-related services (AppXSVC, WpnService, etc.)
  • Re-registration of UWP packages via PowerShell: Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
  • Event Viewer analysis (AppModel-Runtime): recurring UWP launch errors

Additional observations:

  • Calculator (UWP) works fine, suggesting the core UWP runtime is functional
  • Apps like Photos and Copilot Store, which are installed or updated via the Microsoft Store, fail to launch
  • This points to a possible corruption or misconfiguration of Store-related UWP dependencies

Conclusion:

  • The issue appears to affect Store-distributed UWP apps only
  • It persists after full system repair, across multiple machines and accounts
  • Likely cause: deep corruption of UWP runtime or Store integration, not resolved by standard tools

Request:

  • Advanced analysis of UWP runtime and Store dependencies
  • Potential availability of deeper repair tools beyond DISM/SFC
  • Confirmation of known bug or upcoming fix Subject: UWP apps (Photos, Copilot Store) fail to launch despite full Windows reinstallation Issue description: On two separate PCs (desktop and laptop), the Photos app fails to launch. I recently discovered that Copilot installed via the Microsoft Store behaves identically: the app does not open. However, Copilot works fine via Edge. This issue persists regardless of the user account (local, Microsoft, newly created test account). Tests already performed:
    • Resetting Photos and Copilot via Settings > Apps
    • Full Windows 10 reinstallation via in-place upgrade using official ISO
    • Creation of fresh local and Microsoft accounts (tested on both machines)
    • Deactivation and reactivation of Microsoft account sync
    • Verification of UWP-related services (AppXSVC, WpnService, etc.)
    • Re-registration of UWP packages via PowerShell: Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
  • Event Viewer analysis (AppModel-Runtime): recurring UWP launch errors

Additional observations:

  • Calculator (UWP) works fine, suggesting the core UWP runtime is functional
  • Apps like Photos and Copilot Store, which are installed or updated via the Microsoft Store, fail to launch
  • This points to a possible corruption or misconfiguration of Store-related UWP dependencies

Conclusion:

  • The issue appears to affect Store-distributed UWP apps only
  • It persists after full system repair, across multiple machines and accounts
  • Likely cause: deep corruption of UWP runtime or Store integration, not resolved by standard tools

Request:

  • Advanced analysis of UWP runtime and Store dependencies
  • Potential availability of deeper repair tools beyond DISM/SFC
  • Confirmation of known bug or upcoming fix
Windows for home | Windows 10 | Apps
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Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2025-10-16T14:00:13.8566667+00:00

Hi, thanks for the detailed update, it really helps clarify where things stand. From what you’ve shared, it looks like the system is doing its job setting up the app container and launching the process, but something is quietly failing during the app’s startup. This kind of silent failure is actually a known issue with certain versions of the Windows App SDK, especially around version 1.7, where Store-installed apps like Photos and Copilot can fail to initialize properly even though everything else seems fine. Since your system already has the latest updates and runtimes, the next step I’d recommend is to completely remove all existing Windows App Runtime packages using PowerShell with the command Get-AppxPackage WindowsAppRuntime -AllUsers | Remove-AppxPackage, then reinstall the latest version using winget install --id=Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime -e. After that, restart your PC and try launching the apps again. Just to help us dig a bit deeper, do other Store apps like Clipchamp or Paint show the same behavior?

Also, if you can, check for any crash-related files under C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\AppRepository\StateRepository-Machine.srd or in the app’s local temp folder, as those might give us more clues about what’s going wrong.

Let me know how it goes and we’ll take it from there.

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Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2025-10-15T15:14:06.41+00:00

Hi, I understand how inconvenient it is when essential apps like Photos and Copilot don’t launch, especially after you've already gone through a full system reinstall. I’ve looked into this thoroughly, and it turns out the issue is tied to a recent bug in the Windows App SDK that affects Store-distributed UWP apps. Built-in apps like Calculator still work because they rely on different runtime components, but apps updated or installed via the Store, like Photos and Copilot, are impacted by this SDK-level problem.

To get started, I recommend checking for and installing the optional update KB5046714 via Windows Update, which includes a fix for this SDK issue. After that, go to Settings then go to Apps, search for Windows App Runtime Singleton, and try both the Repair and Reset options. You can also reinstall the latest Visual C++ Redistributables from Microsoft’s site to ensure runtime dependencies are intact.

If the issue persists, I’d like to ask: have you noticed this behavior immediately after reinstalling Windows, or did it start after a specific update or app install? Also, are you seeing any error codes or messages in Event Viewer under AppModel-Runtime?

Let me know what you find, and I’ll guide you through the next steps.

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  1. Mateusz Rusnak 0 Reputation points
    2025-10-15T18:32:59.5266667+00:00

    Phone link app is also affected by this. I have those three aps stopped working at the same time and I found reddit threads reporting this also: https://www.reddit.com/r/WindowsHelp/comments/1nmo1h4/phone_link_copilot_and_microsoft_photos_not/

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