Microsoft Store is a digital platform from where Windows users can download and install apps and games on their Windows devices. It has both free and paid games and apps. While installing apps and games from Microsoft Store, some users have encountered an error 0x80073cf6. This error prevents users from installing games and apps on their Windows devices. Some users have encountered the same error code with a different error message while uninstalling an app via Windows PowerShell. In this article, we will talk about both of these scenarios.
Deployment failed with HRESULT: 0x80073CF6, Package could not be registered. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80073CF6)
Deployment failed with HRESULT: 0x80073CF6, Package could not be registered
If you see the error code 0x80073CF6 while installing apps or games from Microsoft Store or while uninstalling the apps or games via Windows PowerShell, you can try the following suggestions to get rid of this problem.
- Run Windows Store Apps Troubleshooter
- Check for Windows Update
- Change the file name
- Reset Microsoft Store
- Troubleshoot in a Clean Boot state
- Perform an In-place Upgrade
Let’s see all these fixes in detail.
1] Run Windows Store Apps Troubleshooter
Troubleshooters are automated tools developed by Microsoft to fix some common problems that users encounter on their Windows devices. Windows has dedicated troubleshooters to deal with different issues. Because you are experiencing the error with Microsoft Store, running the Windows Store Apps Troubleshooter can fix the problem.
2] Check for Windows Update
Sometimes problems occur due to a bug. Software developers release updates for their software. These updates contain fixes for the bugs reported by the users. If this is the case with you, a Windows Update will fix the problem. Open the Windows Update page in Windows 11/10 Settings and check for an update. If an update is available, download and install it. After installing the latest Windows update, check if the issue persists.
3] Change the file name
while uninstalling an app from Windows PowerShell, you are receiving the error code 0x80073CF6 with the “Package could not be registered” error message. If you read the complete error message carefully, there is additional information available. You are told to look for a particular Event ID in the Event Log or use a command line. The command line is also given in the error message.
The command line displayed in the error message is:
Get-AppxLog -ActivityID <event id>
Copy the command from Windows PowerShell. Open a new instance of Windows PowerShell and execute the copied command in it. See what information you get. Read the complete error log displayed by Windows PowerShell. If it shows the “The system cannot find the file specified” error message, it will also display the path for the missing file. In such a case, you have to change the name of a file. Follow the instructions below:
The AppRepository directory contains the files of the Microsoft Store apps installed on your system. When you uninstall a Microsoft Store app, Windows fetches its information from the files inside this directory. If a file is not available in this directory, Windows shows you the error “The system can’t find the file specified.” Open the File Explorer and go to the following path:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\AppRepository
By default, the permission of the AppRepository folder is granted to TrustedInstaller. You will not be able to open this folder. Therefore, you have to take ownership of the AppRepository folder. After taking ownership of the AppRepository folder, you will be able to enter the AppRepository directory. After opening the folder, look for the file, the name of which is displayed in the log. You will not find the file because it is missing due to which you are receiving the “The system can’t find the file specified” error. Now, what you have to do is, look for a file with a similar name and make a copy of that file. Now, change the name of the copied file to the name displayed in the log.
When you are done, change ownership of the AppRepository folder back to the TrustedInstaller. Now, execute the uninstall command in Windows PowerShell. The command should be executed successfully this time.
4] Reset Microsoft Store
If the problem still persists, reset Microsoft Store. Resetting Microsoft Store is helpful if you are experiencing several issues with it like Microsoft Store is crashing, apps are not getting installed, etc. After resetting Microsoft Store, the problem should get fixed.
5] Troubleshoot in a Clean Boot state
There might be a background application interfering with Microsoft Store due to which you are not able to install the apps or games. You can check this by restarting your system in Clean Boot. In a Clean Boot state, Windows starts with only selective background applications and services. All other apps and services remain disabled in the Clean Boot state. After restarting your system in the Clean Boot state, launch Windows PowerShell and execute the command to uninstall the app. If the command gets executed successfully, you will be able to uninstall the app. After uninstalling the app, you can restart your system in normal mode.
If you are getting the error code 0x80073cf6 while installing apps or games from Microsoft Store, install them in the Clean Boot state. If you do not receive the error, a background application is conflicting with Microsoft Store. Now, you have to identify that application. For this, enable some of the disabled programs in the Clean Boot state and then launch your system in normal mode. After that, install some other apps from Microsoft Store and see if you get the error. If yes, one of the programs that you have just enabled is the culprit. To identify it, disable the programs that you have just enabled one by one and install an app from Microsoft Store every time you disable an application. When the error disappears, the program that you have just disabled was causing the problem. Consider uninstalling that program.
6] Perform an In-place Upgrade
If none of the above fixes resolved your problem, perform an In-place Upgrade. The In-place Upgrade will repair your system by installing the Windows again without removing the currently installed Windows OS. Though the In-place Upgrade does not erase your data, we recommend you backup all your data before performing an In-place Upgrade.
This should fix the problem.
Read: How to fix Windows Store Error code 0x80072EFD.
How do I update Microsoft Store on Windows 11?
To update Microsoft Store on Windows 11, open Microsoft Store, and go to Library. You will see the Get Updates button on the top right side of the interface. Click on it. After that, Windows will start checking for available updates. If any update is available for Microsoft Store, Windows will start downloading and installing it automatically.
How do I fix Microsoft Store is not installing apps?
If Microsoft Store is not installing apps, the first thing that you should do is to check your internet connection. To install apps from Microsoft Store, your system should be connected to an active and stable internet connection. If your internet connection is working fine but you are still not able to install apps from Microsoft Store, clear the Store cache or reset it. This step is helpful if the problem is occurring due to the corrupted Microsoft Store cache.
You should also check whether Windows Firewall is disabled or not. If the Firewall is disabled, you will not be able to download and install apps from Microsoft Store. Another cause of this issue is incorrect date and time. You can also run Windows Store Troubleshooter to fix some common problems with Microsoft Store.
Hope this helps.
Read next: Fix Microsoft Store error 0x80131505 on Windows 11/10.
