Does Microsoft Store keep opening itself automatically on your PC? Some users have complained that Microsoft Store opens immediately even when they close it. This issue is quite bothersome as whenever the user tries to open another application, Microsoft Store pops up on top of it.
Now, this issue could be a result of a bad or corrupted Microsoft Store cache. It can also occur due to the malfunctioning of a Store service. In any case, we got you covered with working fixes that will prevent the Microsoft Store app from opening automatically.
How do I stop Microsoft Store from popping up Windows 11?
To stop your Microsoft Store app from popping up randomly, you can clear the Store cache as a broken cache can trigger this problem. You can also repair or reset Microsoft Store using the Settings app, run a virus scan to remove malicious programs from your system, or re-register Microsoft Store to fix app corruption.
Before you try the fixes we have mentioned below, reboot your computer and check if the issue is fixed. You can also run the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter to fix the issue. If the issue persists, follow the guide.
Fix Microsoft Store keeps opening automatically on Windows 11/10
If the Microsoft Store app keeps opening by itself on your Windows 11/10 PC, here are the fixes you can use to get rid of the issue:
- Terminate Microsoft Store’s background processes.
- Restart the services related to Microsoft Store.
- Clear the Microsft Store cache.
- Run a virus scan.
- Repair or reset Microsoft Store using Settings.
- Repair Windows Store and Update Components using commands.
- Re-register Microsoft Store via PowerShell.
1] Terminate Microsoft Store’s background processes
It might be the case that a Microsoft Store process is still running in the background which is why the app keeps opening itself. Hence, check if an instance of Microsoft Store is still running in the background in your Task Manager. If yes, close it and then check if the problem is fixed.
To do so, quickly open Task Manager using the Ctrl+Shift+Esc hotkey and look for a Microsoft Store process in its Processes tab. Now, select the process and then press the End task button to close it. Once done, see if the issue has stopped occurring or not.
2] Restart the services related to Microsoft Store
This issue might be caused due to a service malfunction. So, if the scenario is applicable, try stopping and then restarting the Microsoft Store Install Service. To do that, open the Run box using Win+R and enter services.msc in it to open the Services app. After that, select the Microsoft Store Install Service and then click on the Stop button. Next, click on the Start button and exit the Services window.
See: Fix The Server stumbled Windows Store error message.
3] Clear the Microsft Store cache
A lot of Microsoft Store issues are triggered due to a corrupted cache associated with the app. This can also be one of them. So, in that case, you can delete the Microsoft Store cache and check if it helps.
To clear the Microsoft Store cache, type WSReset.exe in the Windows Search box. Next, go to the WSReset.exe command from the search results and choose the Run as administrator option to execute the command. It will then start deleting the Store cache.
Read: Fix 0x80070483 Microsoft Store Error Code in Windows.
4] Run a virus scan
It could be a virus or malware that is causing your PC and apps to act weirdly. As a result, Microsoft Store keeps opening automatically. Hence, you can perform a virus scan using Windows Security or a third-party antivirus app that you use. If a threat is detected, you can remove it or send it to quarantine.
5] Repair or reset Microsoft Store using Settings
The next thing you can do is repair the Microsoft Store app using Windows Settings. If repairing doesn’t work, you can reset it to its original state and check if the problem is resolved.
Read: Microsoft Store is not opening after reset
6] Repair Microsoft Store and Windows Update Components
As reported by some affected users, repairing Microsoft Store and Windows Update components using some commands helped them fix the issue. You can also try doing the same and see if the problem is fixed. Here’ show:
First, open the Command Prompt with administrator rights. After that, enter the below commands one by one:
net stop bits net stop wuauserv net stop appidsvc net stop cryptsvc Del "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Downloader\*.*" rmdir %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution /S /Q rmdir %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 /S /Q regsvr32.exe /s atl.dll regsvr32.exe /s urlmon.dll regsvr32.exe /s mshtml.dll netsh winsock reset netsh winsock reset proxy net start bits net start wuauserv net start appidsvc net start cryptsvc
Once all the above are finished, you can reboot your PC and check if Microsoft Store has stopped opening automatically.
See: Fix 0x80240066 Microsoft Store error code when installing apps.
7] Re-register Microsoft Store via PowerShell
If none of the above solutions worked for you, re-register Microsoft Store to fix all corruption in the app that might be causing the issue. Here are the steps to do that:
First, open Windows PowerShell with administrator rights using the Windows Search function. In the PowerShell console, enter the below command and wait for it to finish:
Get-AppxPackage -allusers Microsoft.WindowsStore | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\\AppXManifest.xml”}
When done, restart your computer and Microsoft Store should stop opening itself.
See: Microsoft Store not working or closes immediately after opening.
How do I permanently disable Microsoft Store?
To disable Microsoft Store on a Windows PC, there are different methods. You can open Local Group Policy Editor and set the Turn off the store application policy from Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components to Enabled. Besides that, you can also tweak your Registry by setting the value of the RemoveWindowsStore key to 1. Another method to disable Microsoft Store includes using a respective command in PowerShell. But you should know that in Windows 11/10 Pro, you will find that you will not be able to disable Microsoft Store. It is available in Windows 11/10 Enterprise & Education only.
Now read: Microsoft Store displays a blank Black or White screen.
