How to fix Microsoft Store error 0x80073D23 in Windows?

Error 0x80073D23 means Windows refused to install or update an app because you are signed in with a special profile: a temporary, Guest, mandatory or roaming one. It is not a broken Store. Save your files, sign out, restart and sign in to your normal profile first.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2.

What error 0x80073D23 means in Microsoft Store and Windows

Store apps and games are app packages (APPX or MSIX), and Windows installs them through one deployment service. Before it adds, updates or removes a package, it checks which kind of profile you are signed in with. Microsoft Learn lists 0x80073D23 as ERROR_DEPLOYMENT_BLOCKED_BY_PROFILE_POLICY: "The deployment operation was blocked because special profile deployment is not allowed."

What a special profile is

Microsoft's definition: a user profile "where changes are discarded after the user signs out". An app installed there would vanish at sign-out, so Windows refuses.

The four kinds

Temporary profiles (created when an error stops your real profile from loading), the Guest account and members of the Guests group, mandatory and super-mandatory profiles set by an administrator, and roaming profiles with "Delete cached copies of roaming profiles" applied.

The default

The policy Allow deployment operations in special profiles is off unless someone turns it on, so every one of these profiles is blocked.

What Microsoft tells you to do

"Try logging into an account that is not a special profile." Sign out and back in, or use a different account.

The old version of this guide said the code means a conflict between the app and existing app data, and led with the Store troubleshooter, SFC, a network reset and Xbox services. Microsoft's own table says otherwise, and none of those steps changes your profile. We rewrote the page around the real cause.

Why Windows shows 0x80073D23: the causes, ranked

On a home PC the cause is almost always a temporary profile: Windows could not load your own profile at sign-in and gave you an empty one. Next comes a Guest account. Mandatory and roaming profiles are set up by schools and companies, so you meet them on managed PCs.

How to fix error 0x80073D23 in Microsoft Store and Windows

Start with Fix 1: a plain sign-out and restart brings most people's profile back. Fix 2 and Fix 4 are for a temporary profile that will not go away. Fix 3 is for Guest accounts and Fix 5 for shared or managed PCs. Fix 6 clears the Store queue once you are back in a normal profile.

Fix 1. Save your files, sign out, restart and sign in to your own profile

5 minutesNo riskEveryone first, and above all when your desktop, files or wallpaper look different than usual.

Microsoft's advice for 0x80073D23 is to log out and log back in, or use another account. A temporary profile is created when your real profile fails to load once; a clean restart often loads it again.

1. Copy anything you saved since the last normal sign-in to a USB drive or to OneDrive in the browser.
2. Select Start, then Power > Restart. Do not use Sleep or Shut down with Fast Startup.
3. Sign in with your usual account and password.
4. Press Win + R, type cmd and press Enter. Type echo %USERPROFILE% and press Enter.
5. Read the path. Your own profile is C:\Users\YourName. A path with TEMP in it means Windows loaded a temporary profile again.
6. If the path is yours, open Microsoft Store and install the app again.

Microsoft notes that you may need to restart more than once before the original profile loads. Try two or three restarts before you move on.

Fix 2. Sign in once in Safe Mode to load your original profile

10 minutesNo riskWindows keeps signing you in with a temporary profile after normal restarts.

Microsoft's first step for a profile that will not load is to start in Safe Mode and sign in with the original profile. Safe Mode starts without third-party programs that can hold the profile files during sign-in.

1. Start Windows in Safe Mode. Step by step: Start Windows or a Mac in Safe Mode
2. Sign in with your usual account. Check whether your own desktop and files appear.
3. Restart the PC normally and sign in again.
4. Run echo %USERPROFILE% again as in Fix 1. A path without TEMP means the profile is back.
5. Install the app from Microsoft Store.

Microsoft also suggests a test with your antivirus paused, because a scanner that locks files at sign-in can stop the profile from loading. Pause it for one restart only and turn it back on: Turn off Microsoft Defender protection for a moment

Fix 3. Use your own account instead of the Guest account

5 minutesNo riskYou share the PC, signed in as Guest, or someone added your account to the Guests group.

Microsoft lists the Guest account and every member of the Guests group as special profiles. Windows blocks Store installs there by default, however many times you retry.

1. Press Win + R, type cmd and press Enter.
2. Type whoami /groups and press Enter.
3. Look for BUILTIN\Guests in the list. If it is there, this account is a guest.
4. Ask the owner of the PC to create a normal account for you, or sign out and sign in with your own. Step by step: Create a new user account to test a problem
5. Sign in to the normal account and install the app from Microsoft Store.

Fix 4. Create a new account and move your files when the profile is damaged

20 to 30 minutesRead the warningEvery sign-in gives you a temporary profile, and Fix 1 and Fix 2 did not bring your profile back.

Microsoft's last step for a profile that keeps failing is a new local administrator account, then copying your personal files from the old profile. A fresh profile is a normal one, so app installs work there.

1. Create a new local account and make it an administrator. Step by step: Create a new user account to test a problem
2. Sign out and sign in to the new account. The first sign-in takes a few minutes.
3. Open File Explorer and go to C:\Users\YourName, the old profile folder.
4. Copy your Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Downloads and other personal folders into the same folders of the new account.
5. Open Microsoft Store, sign in with your Microsoft account and install the app.
6. Once everything works, link the new account to your Microsoft account in Settings > Accounts > Your info if you used one before.

Apps you bought stay in your Microsoft account, so the Store's Library lists them for the new account. Program settings stored in the old profile do not move by themselves.

Fix 5. Allow app installs in special profiles on a shared or managed PC

10 minutesRead the warningYou are the administrator of a lab, kiosk or company PC that uses mandatory or roaming profiles, and users must install Store apps.

Microsoft's policy Allow deployment operations in special profiles decides this block. Enabled, it lets special profiles add, register, stage, update and remove app packages. Off or not configured, they are blocked.

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor (Pro, Enterprise and Education). Step by step: Open the Local Group Policy Editor
2. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > App Package Deployment.
3. Double-click Allow deployment operations in special profiles.
4. Select Enabled and OK.
5. Restart the PC, or run gpupdate /force in Terminal as administrator.
6. Sign in with the special profile and install the app again.

Terminal as administrator: read the policy (nothing is changed)

reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Appx" /v AllowDeploymentInSpecialProfiles

Microsoft maps the policy to the value AllowDeploymentInSpecialProfiles under that key. "Unable to find the specified registry key or value" means the policy is not set, so special profiles are blocked.

Fix 6. Reset Microsoft Store and clear the stuck download

5 minutesLow riskYour normal profile is back, but the Store still shows the old failed install or the same code.

A download that failed in the special profile can stay in the Store's queue and keep retrying. Clearing the Store cache and resetting the app starts the install fresh in your normal profile.

1. Clear the Store cache. Press Windows + R, type wsreset.exe and select OK. A blank Command Prompt window opens; after a short while it closes and Microsoft Store opens by itself.
2. Open System components. If the problem stays, select Start > Settings > System > System components. Next to Microsoft Store, select the three dots and Advanced options. If Microsoft Store is not listed there, look for it in Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
3. Repair first. Scroll to Reset and select Repair. Repair keeps the app's data. Open the Store and check whether it works.
4. Reset if Repair did not help. Select Reset and confirm. This deletes the Store app's data on this PC; your purchases stay in your Microsoft account. Open the Store and sign in again.

These steps were written for Windows 11 26H2 (build 26300). The full page with the other versions and what each result means: Reset the Microsoft Store

If 0x80073D23 is still there: find the reason and what to send to support

Windows writes every failed app install into an event log. Microsoft's troubleshooting page for app deployment points to these logs and to the Get-AppxLog command.

1. Try the install once more and note the time.
2. Press Win + R, type eventvwr.msc and press Enter.
3. Open Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > AppXDeployment-Server > Microsoft-Windows-AppXDeploymentServer/Operational.
4. Find the error at that time and read its text. It names the package and the profile check that failed.
5. For a quick view, open PowerShell right after the failure and run Get-AppxLog.

• What to send to support or IT: the app name, the full text from the log, the output of echo %USERPROFILE% and whoami /groups, and your Windows version from Settings > System > About.
• A different code in the log: follow that code. For example, 0x80073D01 means a policy such as AppLocker blocked the install; see our guide on Microsoft Store error 0x80073D01.
• Temporary profile even in a new account: Windows cannot write a profile at all. Check the disk with Check a disk for errors (chkdsk) and free space on drive C:.
• Hardware: the code itself is a profile decision, not a hardware fault. A failing disk only matters because it can stop your profile from loading.

Codes close to 0x80073D23

How to keep 0x80073D23 from coming back

• Do not install apps in a temporary profile. If Windows says you are in one, save your work and restart before you do anything else.
• Shut down cleanly. A forced power-off during sign-in or sign-out is a common way for a profile to fail to load the next time.
• Give every regular user a normal account. Keep the Guest account for short visits, not for installing apps.
• Keep a backup of your user folder, so a damaged profile costs minutes, not files: Back up your files (Windows Backup, File History, Time Machine)
• On shared PCs, decide on purpose. Enable Allow deployment operations in special profiles only if users really need Store installs.

Frequently asked questions

What does error code 0x80073D23 mean?

It means Windows blocked an app install or update because you are signed in with a special profile. Microsoft names it ERROR_DEPLOYMENT_BLOCKED_BY_PROFILE_POLICY: "The deployment operation was blocked because special profile deployment is not allowed." Special profiles are temporary, Guest, mandatory and some roaming profiles, where changes are thrown away when you sign out. It is not a damaged download or a broken Store. Sign out and sign in to your own profile first, as in Fix 1.

How do I fix 0x80073D23 on Windows 11?

Save any new files, restart and sign in to your own account, then check that echo %USERPROFILE% shows your user folder, not a TEMP folder (Fix 1). If the temporary profile comes back, sign in once in Safe Mode (Fix 2), and if that fails, create a new account and copy your files (Fix 4). On a Guest account, use a normal one (Fix 3). The steps are the same on Windows 11 25H2 and 26H2, and on Windows 10 22H2.

Is 0x80073D23 a Windows Update error?

No. Some people search for "0x80073d23 error windows update" because the code appears when the Store updates an app. Windows Update itself uses a different service and different codes. The block is the same for app installs and app updates: Microsoft's policy covers adding, registering, staging, updating and removing app packages in a special profile. Get back to a normal profile and the Store updates go through again.

Why did Windows sign me in with a temporary profile?

Microsoft says Windows creates a temporary profile when an error stops your own profile from loading. Common triggers are a crash or forced shutdown, a security program that scans the profile files at sign-in, or a disk problem. Your files are usually still in C:\Users\YourName. Restart a few times, try Safe Mode (Fix 2), and if it keeps happening, move to a new account (Fix 4).

Will I lose my files when I fix 0x80073D23?

Not your old files: they stay in your own profile folder. What you lose is anything you created or changed while in the temporary profile, because Windows deletes it at sign-out. Microsoft says to copy that work to external storage before you sign out. When you move to a new account (Fix 4), copy your personal folders over before you delete anything.

Can I install Store apps on the Guest account?

Not by default. Microsoft counts the Guest account and members of the Guests group as special profiles, and the policy that would allow installs there is off unless an administrator enables it. Use your own account, or ask the owner of the PC to create one for you (Fix 3). On a PC you manage, Fix 5 shows the policy, but the app may still disappear when the guest signs out.

Do the old fixes like wsreset, SFC or restarting Xbox services help?

Not on their own. Those steps repair the Store, system files or services, but 0x80073D23 is about the profile you are signed in with. They do nothing while you stay in a temporary or Guest profile. Once you are back in a normal profile, a Store reset (Fix 6) can still help to clear a download that keeps failing in the queue.

Is 0x80073D31 the same as 0x80073D23?

No. Both belong to the same family of app deployment errors, but each one stops at a different check. This page is about 0x80073D23, the special profile block. We could not confirm the meaning of 0x80073D31 from the sources we read for this guide, so we do not guess. Read the AppXDeployment-Server log as shown under If 0x80073D23 is still there; it names the real reason.

I searched in another language. Is this page for me?

This page is in English and covers one error: 0x80073D23 in Microsoft Store on Windows 11 and Windows 10. If you searched "iska kya matlab hai", "isko kaise thk kre" or "je parle de sa", the answer is the same: the code means you are in a temporary or guest profile. Restart and sign in to your own account (Fix 1). Searches such as "how can i fix this?" or "laptop kantor" on an office laptop also point to Fix 5 or your IT.