How to repair or reset an app in Windows

Windows can repair an app without reinstalling it. Repair keeps the app's data, Reset deletes it. Desktop programs do not have these buttons: they are repaired with their own setup from the list of installed programs.

Time: A few minutes
Level: Easy
You need: Nothing. After a reset you sign in to the app again, so have the password ready.

Before you start

Close the app and open it again, then restart the PC. Many app problems end there.
Install pending updates in Settings > Windows Update, and update the app itself in Microsoft Store > Library.

Windows 11

Steps written for Windows 11 25H2 and 26H2.

Open Installed apps
Select Start > Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
Open the app's advanced options
Find the app in the list, select the three dots next to it and select Advanced options. Some apps do not have this option: for those, see the section about desktop programs below.
The three dots next to an app open Advanced options. Screenshot: Windows 11 26H2
Repair first
On the page that opens, select Repair if it is there. The app's data stays. Open the app and check whether it works.
Repair keeps the app data. Reset deletes it. Screenshot: Windows 11 26H2
Reset if Repair did not help
Select Reset. This deletes the app's data on this PC, including sign-in details and settings. Open the app and set it up again.

Steps checked against Microsoft's documentation on Oct 11, 2026.

What Terminate, Repair and Reset do

Button	What it does	What you lose
Terminate	Immediately closes the app and its related processes. Use it when the app is stuck or keeps running in the background.	Unsaved work in that app.
Repair	Tries to fix the app's installation.	Nothing: the app's data is not affected.
Reset	Returns the app to the state it had right after it was installed.	The app's data on this PC: sign-in, settings and files the app keeps only for itself. Data stored in your online account stays there.

Repair a desktop program

Programs installed with their own setup file (not from Microsoft Store) are repaired by that setup. Not every program offers it.

Type control panel in the search box on the taskbar and select Control Panel.
Select Programs > Programs and Features.
Right-click the program and select Repair. If that is not available, select Change.
Follow the directions on the screen. Many setups show a Repair option here.

On Windows 11 you can reach the same setup from Settings > Apps > Installed apps: select the three dots next to the program and select Modify.

If the app still does not work

Reinstall it. For a Store app, open Microsoft Store, select Library, find the app and select Install. For a desktop program, see Uninstall a program or app in Windows and install it again from the maker's site.
If several Store apps fail at once, fix the Store first: Reset the Microsoft Store, then How to re-register Microsoft Store apps with PowerShell.
Repair system files: Run DISM and SFC to repair Windows system files.

A reset cannot be undone. If the app keeps its data in an online account, it comes back when you sign in again.

Sources

Microsoft Support: Repair apps and programs in Windows (read Oct 11, 2026)
Microsoft Support: Fix problems that block programs from being installed or removed (read Oct 11, 2026)
Microsoft Support: Fix problems with apps from Microsoft Store (read Oct 11, 2026)
Microsoft Learn: Troubleshoot Visual C++ Redistributable installation problems (Installed apps, Modify, Repair) (read Oct 11, 2026)
Microsoft Q&A: Troubleshoot Microsoft Store on Windows 10/11 machines (what Repair and Reset do) (read Oct 11, 2026)
Microsoft Q&A: Game Mode and Game Bar won't turn off (the Terminate button) (read Oct 11, 2026)

How to repair or reset an app in Windows

Before you start

Windows 11

Open Installed apps

Open the app's advanced options

Repair first

Reset if Repair did not help

Windows 10

Open Apps & features

Open the app's advanced options

Repair first

Reset if Repair did not help

What Terminate, Repair and Reset do

Repair a desktop program

If the app still does not work

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