How to fix "Search for app in the Store?" error on Windows?

The window Search for app in the Store? means Windows could not find the program it needs for a task. At sign-in, it most often follows a switch to Diagnostic startup in System Configuration, which turns off over 200 services. Return Windows to Normal startup first.

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

What "Search for app in the Store? You need to install an app for this task" means

The window is the standard Windows prompt for a task that has no program assigned to it. Windows asks the system for the app that should handle the task, gets no answer, and offers the Microsoft Store as the place to look for one.

In the cases that bring people here, the missing piece is not a Store app. It is a part of Windows itself that is switched off or broken: the sign-in parts that process a PIN, or the SmartScreen check that runs when you open a downloaded program. So the Store has nothing to offer, and Yes either opens a Store that never loads or does nothing.

Causes of the "Search for app in the Store?" window, ranked

Where the window appears points to the cause. Most often it is the sign-in screen after a switch to Diagnostic startup. Less often it is a downloaded .exe file. Rarely it is a program in the background or one damaged app.

Why Diagnostic startup locks you out at sign-in

System Configuration (msconfig) has three choices on its General tab: Normal startup, Diagnostic startup and Selective startup. Diagnostic startup loads Windows with a bare minimum of drivers and services. A former Microsoft MVP who tested it counts over 200 services that it turns off.

• PIN sign-in needs services that Diagnostic startup turns off. Windows shows Something happened and your PIN isn't available.
• Selecting Set up my PIN then opens Search for app in the Store?, because the PIN setup screen cannot start either.
• The Sign-in options link with the password may be missing. That happens when the setting For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device is on. Windows 11 setup turns it on for a Microsoft account.
• A local account with a password is not affected in the same way. One Microsoft Q&A report says the window did not appear with a local account.

How to fix "Search for app in the Store?" on Windows

Fixes 1 to 3 are for the window at sign-in. Fix 1 works from the desktop, Fixes 2 and 3 get you there first. Fixes 4 and 5 are for .exe files. Fixes 6 and 7 cover a background program and one damaged app. Fix 8 is the last resort.

Fix 1. Switch System Configuration back to Normal startup

5 minutesLow riskThe window comes at start or at sign-in and you can still reach the desktop, for example with a password or a local account. Also the last step after Fix 2 or Fix 3.

Diagnostic startup keeps over 200 services off at every start, including those that PIN sign-in needs. Normal startup turns them all back on in one step.

1. Press Win + R, type the command and select OK. Confirm the administrator prompt.

   msconfig

2. On the General tab, look at the selected option. If it is Diagnostic startup or Selective startup, you have found the cause.
3. Select Normal startup.
4. Open the Services tab and check that the services are ticked again. If many stay unticked, select Enable all.
5. Select Apply, then OK.
6. Select Restart when Windows asks. Sign in with your PIN as usual.

Fix 2. Get past the sign-in screen: password sign-in or System Restore

10 to 40 minutesLow riskThe window blocks the sign-in screen and Windows never lets you reach the desktop.

The PIN fails because its services are off. The password does not need the PIN setup screen, and System Restore puts back the service settings from a restore point made before the switch to Diagnostic startup.

1. On the sign-in screen, close the window with No. Look under the PIN box for Sign-in options.
2. If it is there, select the key icon and sign in with your password. Then do Fix 1 at once.
3. If you sign in with a Microsoft account, the PC may need the internet for a password it has not seen before. Use the last password you used on this PC.
4. If there is no Sign-in options link, select the power icon on the sign-in screen, hold Shift and select Restart.
5. In the recovery environment, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore.
6. Choose a restore point from before the problem began and finish the wizard. Step by step: Undo recent changes with System Restore
7. After the restart, sign in and do Fix 1 to make sure Normal startup is selected.

Fix 3. Bring back the password option from the recovery environment

15 minutesRead the warningNo Sign-in options link on the sign-in screen and no usable restore point.

The password option is hidden by one value in the registry. The former Microsoft MVP's article shows how to set it to 0 from the recovery environment, so that the password appears and you can sign in and do Fix 1.

1. On the sign-in screen, select the power icon, hold Shift and select Restart.
2. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt. Enter the BitLocker recovery key if asked.
3. Find the drive letter of Windows. In the recovery environment it is often not C. Look for the line osdevice in the output.

   bcdedit

4. Copy the registry file before you change it. Replace G with your drive letter.

   copy G:\Windows\System32\config\SOFTWARE G:\Windows\System32\config\SOFTWARE.bak

5. Load the file, set the value and unload it. Run the three lines one by one.

   reg load HKLM\OffReg G:\Windows\System32\config\SOFTWARE
   reg add "HKLM\OffReg\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PasswordLess\Device" /v DevicePasswordLessBuildVersion /d 0 /t REG_DWORD /f
   reg unload HKLM\OffReg

6. Type exit, select Continue and let Windows start.
7. On the sign-in screen, select Sign-in options, choose the key icon and sign in with your Microsoft account password.
8. Do Fix 1 at once. Afterwards you may turn the Windows Hello only option back on in Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.

Key (offline)

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PasswordLess\Device

Value

DevicePasswordLessBuildVersion, DWORD, set to 0

Same as

Turning off For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device

Undo

Turn that option back on in Settings, or copy SOFTWARE.bak back over SOFTWARE from the recovery Command Prompt

Fix 4. For .exe files: confirm SmartScreen is the source, and unblock a file you trust

5 minutesLow riskThe window comes only when you open a downloaded .exe file, and the program starts after Yes or No.

On a healthy PC, an unsigned download opens the SmartScreen warning with Run anyway. A Windows 10 user reported that the Store window took its place, and that it stopped when Check apps and files was off. A short test shows whether your PC behaves the same.

1. Open Windows Security from Start, then App & browser control > Reputation-based protection settings.
2. Turn Check apps and files off for one test only.
3. Open the same .exe file. If the window does not appear, SmartScreen is the source.
4. Turn Check apps and files back on at once. Leave it on.
5. For one file you trust and got from its maker: right-click it, select Properties, tick Unblock on the General tab and select OK.
6. For the cause itself, go to Fix 5.

Fix 5. Repair the Windows parts behind SmartScreen

20 to 40 minutesLow riskFix 4 showed that the window comes from the SmartScreen check.

The window replaces the SmartScreen warning when the part that draws it cannot start. Normal startup, intact system files and current updates are the three things that bring it back.

1. Run msconfig and check that Normal startup is selected, as in Fix 1. Diagnostic startup can also stop the warning from appearing.
2. Repair the system files with DISM and the System File Checker. Step by step: Run DISM and SFC to repair Windows system files
3. Open Settings > Windows Update, select Check for updates and install everything offered, then restart.
4. Open a downloaded .exe file again. The blue SmartScreen warning should now appear instead of the Store window.

1. Open an elevated command window. Right-click Start and select Terminal (Admin), or type cmd in the search box, right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator. Select Yes when Windows asks for permission.

   

2. Run DISM first. Type the command below and press Enter. DISM downloads clean copies of damaged components from Windows Update, so it can take several minutes. Wait until it says The operation completed successfully.

   DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

   

3. Run System File Checker. In the same window, type the command below and press Enter. Do not close the window until the verification reaches 100%.

   sfc /scannow

   

4. Read the result and restart. Compare the last message with the table below this guide, then restart the PC so that repaired files are loaded.

   

These steps were written for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2. The full page with the other versions and what each result means: Run DISM and SFC to repair Windows system files

Fix 6. Find the program that asks for a missing app

15 to 30 minutesLow riskThe window appears after sign-in or at random, with no action of yours, and Normal startup is selected.

A startup program or service can ask Windows to open a file type or link that has no app. Windows does not name the program in the window, so you narrow it down by turning startup items off and on.

1. Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc and select Startup apps (on Windows 10, the Startup tab).
2. Disable the entries you do not need, then restart. Step by step: Stop apps from opening at startup
3. If the window is gone, turn the entries back on one at a time until it returns. The last one is the cause.
4. If the window stays, do a clean boot, which also turns off other companies' services. Keep Hide all Microsoft services ticked.
5. Update, change or uninstall the program you found.

1. Open System Configuration. Select Search on the taskbar, type msconfig and select System Configuration from the results.
2. Hide Microsoft services. On the Services tab, select the Hide all Microsoft services check box. Only services from other companies stay in the list.

   

3. Disable the remaining services. Select Disable all, then select Apply.
4. Open Task Manager. On the Startup tab of System Configuration, select Open Task Manager.

   

5. Disable the startup apps. On the Startup apps tab in Task Manager, select each item whose status is Enabled and select Disable. Write down or take a screenshot of the items you disable: you need the list to turn them back on.

   

6. Confirm the changes. Close Task Manager. On the Startup tab of System Configuration, select OK.
7. Restart and test. Restart the PC. Windows now starts in a clean boot environment: try again the thing that failed (run the app, install the update, uninstall the program).

These steps were written for Windows 11 25H2 and 26H2. The full page with the other versions and what each result means: How to perform a clean boot in Windows

Fix 7. Repair, reset or reinstall the app that brings the window up

10 minutesLow riskThe window comes every time you open one particular app, for example Phone Link (formerly Your Phone).

A damaged or half-removed app can leave Windows without a working program for its own links. Repair keeps the app's data; Reset clears it; a reinstall replaces the app entirely.

1. Press Win + I and open Apps > Installed apps (on Windows 10, Apps > Apps & features).
2. Find the app, select the three dots beside it (on Windows 10, the app itself) and choose Advanced options.
3. Select Terminate, then Repair. Open the app again to test.
4. If the window still comes, select Reset. The app's data on this PC is deleted.
5. For an app that is not from Microsoft, uninstall it and install the current version from its maker. Step by step: Uninstall a program or app in Windows

Fix 8. Reset this PC and keep your files

1 to 2 hoursRead the warningNothing above works, or you cannot sign in at all after Fixes 2 and 3.

A Microsoft Q&A advisor suggested a full recovery for a PC where the window survived every repair. Reset this PC reinstalls Windows and clears the startup and service settings. With Keep my files, your personal files stay.

1. If you can sign in, open Settings > System > Recovery (on Windows 10, Update & Security > Recovery) and select Reset PC.
2. If you cannot sign in, hold Shift, select Restart on the sign-in screen, then Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.
3. Choose Keep my files.
4. Follow the screens and wait until Windows has been reinstalled.
5. Sign in, set up your PIN again and install your apps.

"Search for app in the Store?" still appears: what to check and what to report

The window itself writes nothing useful to a log, and we found no Event Viewer entry that names the task Windows could not open. What tells the story is the startup mode and the moment the window appears.

• Home PC: give these facts to Microsoft support or post them on Microsoft Q&A.
• Work PC: tell your administrator. Sign-in policies and SmartScreen can be set centrally, and a local fix may be undone.
• Report it: the Feedback Hub app (Win + F) sends the details to Microsoft.

Keep the "Search for app in the Store?" window from coming back

Windows 10 left support on 14 October 2025. The same fixes work there, but Windows 10 no longer receives the updates of Fix 5.

Frequently asked questions

What does "Search for app in the Store? You need to install an app for this task" mean?

It means Windows asked for the program that should handle a task and found none. Windows then offers the Microsoft Store as the place to look. In the common cases, nothing is missing that the Store could give you. A part of Windows is switched off, most often by Diagnostic startup in System Configuration, or the SmartScreen check that runs when you open a downloaded program is not working. That is why both Yes and No lead nowhere at sign-in.

Why does the window appear every time I start the PC or sign in?

Most likely because Windows is set to Diagnostic startup. That choice in System Configuration stays on until someone changes it, and it turns off over 200 services, including those that PIN sign-in needs. Windows shows Something happened and your PIN isn't available., and the PIN setup opens the Store window. Run msconfig, select Normal startup and restart (Fix 1). If you cannot reach the desktop, Fix 2 shows how to get there first.

Why do Yes and No do nothing?

Because there is no app in the Store for this task. Yes tries to open the Store, which may not start at all when its services are off, or opens a search with no useful result. No closes the window, but the task Windows wanted still cannot run, so at sign-in you stay stuck. With a downloaded .exe file the case is different: there, both buttons let the program start, and only the SmartScreen warning is missing. Fix 4 covers that case.

Why does "search in Microsoft Store" keep popping up when I open an .exe file?

A Windows 10 user reported this on a fresh install: every downloaded .exe file brought up the Store window instead of the SmartScreen warning. When the user turned off Check apps and files, the window stopped, and it came back when the check was set to warn again. That points to the SmartScreen part of Windows. Use the switch only as a short test (Fix 4), turn it back on, then repair the system files and update Windows (Fix 5).

Should I turn off "Check apps and files" to stop the window?

Not for good. Older guides give that as the fix, and it does stop the window when SmartScreen is the source. It also stops Windows from warning you about every unknown program you download, which is how malware usually arrives. Turn it off once to confirm the cause, then turn it back on. For a single program you trust, tick Unblock in the file's Properties instead, and repair Windows with Fix 5.

I cannot sign in at all. What is the quickest way back?

First look for Sign-in options under the PIN box and sign in with your password. If it is not there, hold Shift and select Restart on the sign-in screen, then use Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore with a restore point from before the problem (Fix 2). Without a restore point, the registry value in Fix 3 brings the password option back. Once you are on the desktop, switch msconfig to Normal startup right away.

Is this the same as a Microsoft Store error, such as a game or Flight Simulator that will not install?

No. This page is about one Windows window, Search for app in the Store?, that asks you to find an app for a task. Store download and install errors, such as those with Microsoft Flight Simulator, come with an error code or an error page inside the Store app. Searches like "store error", "app error market" or "market windows error" usually mean those. Look up the exact code shown in the Store, because each one has its own cause.

Is the "Search for app in the Store?" window a virus?

No. It is a normal Windows prompt, and the usual causes are a startup setting or a SmartScreen problem, not malware. The risk comes only if you answer it by installing a "fix" app or a program from an unknown site. If you also see other signs, such as unknown programs or a browser that opens strange pages, run a full scan with Microsoft Defender: How to scan for malware with Microsoft Defender. The window alone is not such a sign.

The window appears in another language on my PC. Is this the same problem?

Yes, when the window has the same layout: a title that asks whether to search the Store, a line saying you need an app for this task, and Yes and No. Windows shows it in the language of the system, so readers in France, Spain or Indonesia see their own wording, for example at the start of Windows. The causes and fixes on this page are the same in every language. Menu names in msconfig and Settings are translated too.

Will Reset this PC delete my files?

Not if you choose Keep my files. That option reinstalls Windows and keeps the files in your user folders, but it removes the apps you installed and resets your settings. Remove everything, which a Microsoft Q&A advisor suggested in one case, deletes your files too. Try Fixes 1 to 3 first: in most reports, switching back to Normal startup is enough, and a reset is not needed at all.