Microsoft Photos app stopped working properly. I uninstalled and was not able to reinstall the app again.

I had the exact same problem after the Windows 11 update on October 28. The Microsoft Photos app started up but worked strangely - pull down menu text was corrupted or complete blank, and therefore unusable. After trying a few suggested fixes online, I uninstalled Photos. My attempts are installation were unsuccessful; Microsoft Store though the app was installed, but it did not show up in Control Panel / Installed Apps nor in the Start menu.

This Google AI workaround for Microsoft Photos Legacy is now working for me. And, surprisingly, Photos Legacy does show up in the Start menu, but fails with the "We couldn't migrate your data." error. However, invoking the Photos Legacy app directly using a desktop shortcut as described below works. (Your mileage my vary.)

I am quite annoyed with Microsoft would release a system (supposed) upgrade with such a terrible side-effect.

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(a) You can bypass winget entirely and install the app using your normal, active desktop session.

 

(ai) Method 1: Force Open the Hidden App Store Page

Since your background cleanup commands worked, you can use the graphical Microsoft Store to handle the actual download, which won't trigger the session error:

1.     Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open the Run box.

2.     Copy and paste this exact link into the box and press Enter:

 

ms-windows-store://pdp/?ProductId=9NV2L4XVMCXM

 

3.     Your native Microsoft Store app will open directly to the hidden listing for Microsoft Photos Legacy.

4.     Click the blue Get or Install button.

 

Method 2: Use a Standard (Non-Admin) PowerShell Window

If you prefer the command line, running it without administrator privileges allows winget to see your active user login session, resolving the error:

1.     Click your Start Menu, type PowerShell, and click to open it normally (do not right-click or run as administrator).

2.     Paste this command and hit Enter:

 

winget install --id 9NV2L4XVMCXM --source msstore

 

3.     If it asks you to agree to the terms, type Y and press Enter.

 

Method 3: Reset the Store Cache (If the above fails)

If the Microsoft Store app itself acts glitchy or throws an error when you try Method 1, you can refresh its login tokens:

1.     Press Windows Key + R.

2.     Type wsreset.exe and click OK.

3.     A blank black box will appear. Leave it alone for about 10–20 seconds. It will close itself and open a freshly authenticated Microsoft Store, at which point you can try Method 1 again.

 

Let me know if Method 1 or Method 2 successfully got the "Get/Install" button to work without the session error!

 

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(me) After method 1: Photos Legacy still doesn't appear in Installed Apps. Opening Photos Legacy from the Microsoft Store gives" We couldn't migrate your data.

 

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(ai) The "We couldn't migrate your data" error happens because Photos Legacy is looking for a local database or folder configuration that belongs to the modern Photos app, which is completely missing on your system.

 

Since the Store says "Open," the app is successfully installed on your computer right now, but its background initialization process is crashing before it can register itself in your Start Menu or "Installed Apps" list.

 

You can fix this by clearing the broken migration configuration files or using an alternative launch path.

 

Fix 1: Reset the App Container to Force a Clean First Launch

You can use PowerShell to wipe out the data migration state that is causing the crash, forcing Photos Legacy to launch with a fresh, empty profile.

1.     Open the Start Menu, type PowerShell, and select Run as Administrator.

2.     Run this command to reset the app’s background data:

powershell

Get-AppxPackage PhotosLegacy | Reset-AppxPackage

Use code with caution.

3.     Close PowerShell, go back to the Microsoft Store page, and click Open again.

 

Fix 2: Manually Delete the Corrupt Profile Data (If Reset Fails)

If the PowerShell reset doesn't clear the data migration block, you can manually delete the hidden app data folder that is holding onto the corrupted migration logs:

1.     Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog.

2.     Paste the following path and press Enter:

text

%localappdata%\Packages

Use code with caution.

3.     Scroll down and look for a folder named Microsoft.Windows.Photos_8wekyb3d8bbwe (this is where the legacy app stores its local data/migration state).

4.     Delete that folder (or rename it to Microsoft.Windows.Photos_OLD if you want to be safe).

5.     Try opening the app again from the Store.

 

Fix 3: Launch via the Direct Run Command

Once you have tried Fix 1 or 2, the app should be functional. If it still doesn't show up in your Start Menu search, you can bypass the Windows shell and force the app window to launch:

1.     Press Windows Key + R.

2.     Type ms-photos-legacy: and click OK.

 

Did Fix 1 or Fix 2 clear out the "couldn't migrate data" error when you clicked Open? Let me know if the app window finally loads up!

 

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(me) Fix 1 or Fix 2 apparently worked. Opening from the Store still fails with the "Couldn't migrate data" error. Opening from the Run Command window works.

 

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(ai) It is a huge win that the Run command (ms-photos-legacy:) successfully bypassed the block and opened the app interface!

 

The reason clicking "Open" in the Store still throws the error is because the Store button triggers an integrated migration wrapper, whereas the Run command forces the standalone app to launch independently. Because the app works perfectly via the Run command, you don't need the Store button anymore.

 

To make it easily accessible without typing a command every time, you can create a permanent desktop shortcut that uses that working launch path.

Step 1: Create a Desktop Shortcut for Photos Legacy

1.     Right-click on an empty space on your Desktop.

2.     Hover over New and select Shortcut.

3.     In the box that says "Type the location of the item," paste the working command exactly:

 

explorer.exe ms-photos-legacy:

 

4.     Click Next.

5.     Name the shortcut something clear, like Photos Legacy.

6.     Click Finish.

 

Step 2: Give it the Photos Icon (Optional)

Right now, the shortcut will have a generic folder/explorer icon. To make it look like the actual app:

1.     Right-click your new shortcut and select Properties.

2.     Go to the Shortcut tab and click the Change Icon... button.

3.     Erase whatever is in the text field and paste this path to access the built-in Windows icon library:

 

shell32.dll

 

4.     Press Enter, scroll through the icons to find an image or camera icon you like, select it, and click OK.

5.     Click Apply and then OK.

 

Step 3: Pin it to your Start Menu or Taskbar

Now that you have a functioning desktop shortcut:

• For the Taskbar: Drag and drop your new shortcut directly onto your Windows Taskbar at the bottom of the screen.
• For the Start Menu: Right-click the shortcut and select Pin to Start so you can access it by pressing the Windows key.

 

You can now use this shortcut to completely sidestep the broken Microsoft Store app environment!

 

If you want to set Photos Legacy as your default image viewer so it automatically opens whenever you double-click a picture file (like a .JPG or .PNG), let me know and I can walk you through matching it to your file associations!

 

Since Photos Legacy is installed in a unique standalone state without the main Photos app package, it won’t appear automatically in the standard Windows Default Apps menu.

 

You can force Windows 11 to use your functioning app path as the system-wide default using the "Open with" association menu.

 

Step 1: Link Your Core Image Files

You will need to perform this quick 4-step process once for your main image formats (usually .jpg and .png):

1.     Find any .jpg or .jpeg image file on your computer.

2.     Right-click the file, hover over Open with, and select Choose another app from the flyout menu.

3.     In the window that pops up, scroll down and look for Photos Legacy.

o   Note: If you do not see it listed in the main menu, click More apps or Choose an app on your PC at the bottom to expand the selection.

4.     Crucial Step: Select Photos Legacy, then click the Always button at the bottom of the window.

 

Step 2: Repeat for Other Formats (If Needed)

Repeat the exact same process above for a .png file and any other common image formats you use (like .gif or .webp).

Once completed, Windows will permanently remember the association and route all future image double-clicks directly through your working shortcut path, completely bypassing the broken Microsoft Store migration loop.

Are your images opening smoothly now when you double-click them? Let me know if any specific file type (like PNG or GIF) is giving you trouble or refusing to show Photos Legacy in the list!

[FIX] Working Solution for Error 0x80004001 / 0x80073CF6 (progIdGeneration: Not implemented)

If you are stuck at 90% when installing Microsoft Photos via winget or the

Microsoft Store with the following error:

error 0x80004001: While preparing to process the request, the system failed to register the windows.fileTypeAssociation.progIdGeneration extension due to the following error: Not implemented

This happens because the latest major update of Microsoft Photos (the ~1 GB

package containing the new AI features) has an updated AppX manifest

(progIdGeneration) that fails to register on certain Windows 11 builds (such

as 23H2 Enterprise).

Here is the step-by-step fix that works:

Step-by-Step Fix:

1. Go to the official Microsoft Store package fetcher: https://store.rg-adguard.net/
2. In the search box, change the first dropdown to ProductID and enter: 9WZDNCRFJBH4 (Select RP or Retail ring and click the checkmark button).
3. From the generated list of files, do NOT download the ~1 GB file (2024.11090... or 2608...), as that is the one causing the schema/registration conflict. Instead, look for the stable release: 👉 Microsoft.Windows.Photos_2023.11090.12017.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe.msixbundle (approx. 153.66 MB)
4. Download the file (if your browser blocks it or opens a blank page, right-click the link and choose Save link as...).
5. Once downloaded, simply double-click the .msixbundle file and click Install (or Update).

The app will install immediately without any errors and will work properly. You

can safely keep this version until Microsoft releases a cumulative update

addressing the deployment bug in newer builds.

1

The Ai solution is incorrect, you cannot use the Windows 11 ISO to perform an in-place repair/upgrade on Windows 11 on your hardware, because your 7th generation processor will block that.

If you are unable to reinstall the Photos app from the Store, open PowerShell by right clicking its icon and select 'Run as Administrator'.

Paste this into PowerShell and press Enter:

Get-AppxPackage -allusers Microsoft.Windows.Photos | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}When that command completes, restart your PC and check if the Photos app is installed correctly.

2

If the Photos app is still not installed, are you able to install the Photos Legacy App from the Store:

https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9nv2l4xvmcxm

Hello,

The latest update installed on my computer was showing as Microsoft Windows 11 23H2. I downloaded the newly released Microsoft Windows 11 26H2 version from Microsoft's official website and completed the necessary updates.

The issue has now been resolved.

For your information.

• Windows+R -> winver