How to Reinstall Microsoft Store After Accidentally Removing It

Quick fix: Open Terminal (Admin) and run Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers Microsoft.WindowsStore | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppxManifest.xml"} — re-registers Microsoft Store from its existing files. If files were fully deleted, install via the offline package method (Method 2).

You ran a Windows debloater script or removed Microsoft Store manually via PowerShell. Now you can’t install any app from the Store — the icon is gone, the protocol handler is broken, and double-clicking a Store link does nothing. The Store package files may still be on disk (just unregistered) or fully removed. The recovery path depends on which state you’re in.

What causes this

Microsoft Store is an AppX package (Microsoft.WindowsStore_8wekyb3d8bbwe) deployed system-wide. Removal commands like Remove-AppxPackage with the -AllUsers flag unregister it from user profiles but typically leave the package files intact in C:\Program Files\WindowsApps. The Store can be re-registered from those files without a fresh download. If the files were also deleted (e.g., a debloater script that removed both the package and the source folder), you need to install from an external .msixbundle.

Method 1: Re-register from existing system files

The first try. Fast and free.

1. Open Terminal (Admin) (right-click Start → Terminal (Admin)).
2. Check if the Store package files still exist:

   Get-ChildItem "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\" -Filter "Microsoft.WindowsStore*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

   If this returns a folder path, the files are intact. If empty, skip to Method 2.

3. Re-register the Store for all users:

   Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers Microsoft.WindowsStore | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppxManifest.xml"}

4. If Get-AppxPackage returns nothing (package unregistered everywhere), use the explicit folder path:

   $path = (Get-ChildItem "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps" -Filter "Microsoft.WindowsStore_*_x64_*" -Directory | Select-Object -Last 1).FullName
   Add-AppxPackage -Register "$path\AppxManifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode

5. Reboot.
6. The Microsoft Store icon should reappear in the Start menu. Open it and verify it loads.

Re-registration restores the Store using the existing on-disk binaries. Sign-in state and installed apps come back automatically.

Method 2: Install from an offline .msixbundle

Use when the package files are gone. Requires downloading an installer from a Microsoft-sanctioned source.

1. Visit store.rg-adguard.net (a community web service that fetches Microsoft Store installers from the official Microsoft URLs).
2. In the dropdown, select ProductId.
3. Paste this product ID for Microsoft Store: 9wzdncrfjbmp.
4. Select Retail from the second dropdown.
5. Click the checkmark to search.
6. From the results, download these files (the latest version of each):
   • Microsoft.WindowsStore — the main Store .msixbundle
   • Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00 — required runtime
   • Microsoft.NET.Native.Framework — required framework
   • Microsoft.NET.Native.Runtime — required runtime
   • Microsoft.UI.Xaml — UI framework
7. Move all downloaded files to a single folder (e.g., C:\StoreInstall).
8. Open Terminal (Admin) and install dependencies first, then Store:

   Add-AppxPackage -Path "C:\StoreInstall\Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00_x64_*.appx"
   Add-AppxPackage -Path "C:\StoreInstall\Microsoft.NET.Native.Framework_x64_*.appx"
   Add-AppxPackage -Path "C:\StoreInstall\Microsoft.NET.Native.Runtime_x64_*.appx"
   Add-AppxPackage -Path "C:\StoreInstall\Microsoft.UI.Xaml.*_x64_*.appx"
   Add-AppxPackage -Path "C:\StoreInstall\Microsoft.WindowsStore_*.msixbundle"

9. Reboot.

This is the offline-rebuild path. It restores Microsoft Store along with all its runtime dependencies.

Method 3: Repair via DISM or Reset Windows components

Use as a last resort if Methods 1 and 2 don’t produce a working Store.

1. Open Terminal (Admin).
2. Repair the component store:

   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

   Takes 10-20 minutes. Requires internet.

3. Reset the AppX deployment service:

   net stop AppXSvc
   Remove-Item -Recurse -Force C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\AppRepository\*.log
   net start AppXSvc

4. Try Method 1 again — the re-registration may now succeed where it didn’t before.
5. If still no Store, an in-place upgrade install is the cleanest fix: download the Windows 11 ISO from microsoft.com/software-download/windows11, mount it, run setup.exe, choose Keep personal files and apps. Setup reinstalls system AppX packages including Store.

The in-place upgrade is more invasive but guarantees a working Store with all dependencies intact.

How to verify the fix worked

• The Microsoft Store icon appears in the Start menu (search “store”).
• Opening it loads the Home tab without errors.
• Search and download work — try installing a small free app (Calculator if it’s missing).
• Run Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.WindowsStore | Format-List Name, Version, Status in PowerShell. Status: Ok.

If none of these work

If Store still won’t come back after all three methods, the package dependencies may be missing in a way that’s hard to recover without a full Windows reinstall. Run Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Where-Object {$_.Status -ne “Ok”} in PowerShell — apps with non-Ok status indicate broken dependencies. The cleanest fix at this point is the in-place upgrade install (mentioned in Method 3) or a Reset This PC with Cloud download. Both restore Store along with all its dependencies. For corporate-managed PCs where Store was intentionally removed by IT policy, contact IT — local reinstall attempts may be undone on the next Group Policy refresh.

Bottom line: Microsoft Store reinstalls cleanly if the package files still exist (one PowerShell line). If files were also deleted, you need to fetch the .msixbundle from an external source and install it with its dependencies.