Quick fix: Microsoft Store doesn’t hide apps in its UI directly, but apps purchased on another device under the same MSA may not appear in your Library by default. Open Store → Library → View all and check filter dropdowns. Also try ms-windows-store://library URL. For pre-installed apps not in Start menu, check shell:appsfolder in Run.

You bought an app on your phone or another PC using the same Microsoft Account. On this PC, the app isn’t visible in Microsoft Store’s Library or installed apps. Or you know certain UWP apps shipped with Windows (Game Bar, Camera, Photos) but they don’t appear in Start. The fix is knowing where to look.

Symptom: Apps available through your Microsoft Account but not showing in Store’s Library; pre-installed apps not visible in Start menu.
Affects: Windows 11 (and Windows 10) Microsoft Store.
Fix time: ~10 minutes.

What causes this

Microsoft Store’s Library shows apps your MSA has installed or downloaded recently. Apps purchased years ago, or apps installed under a different MSA tied to the same email family, may not appear without filter adjustments. Pre-installed Windows apps (the “inbox” UWP set) are managed separately and may not appear in normal app lists if they’ve been removed by an admin or by Windows trimming.

The shell:appsfolder system folder shows every installed app including UWP pre-installed ones. Useful for verifying what’s actually on the PC.

Method 1: Browse Microsoft Store Library with filters

The standard route for purchased apps.

Open Microsoft Store. Click Library in the left sidebar.
The default view shows apps currently installed on this PC plus available updates.
Click View all owned or scroll filters at the top. Filter options:
- Show available apps only — apps you own but haven’t installed here.
- Show installed apps — what’s actively installed.
- Sort by: name, recently used, alphabetical.
Apps you bought on other devices but haven’t installed here appear with an Install button instead of Launch/Update.
For Xbox games tied to MSA: filter Library by Games. Game Pass titles show with Game Pass badge; owned games show with Owned indicator.
If certain apps still don’t appear: visit account.microsoft.com/services/products in browser. Shows every product tied to your MSA. Cross-reference with what’s shown in Store Library.

The library filter and the web account page together show your complete app ownership.

Method 2: Use shell:appsfolder to see all installed apps

For finding apps not in Start menu.

Press Win + R. Type shell:appsfolder. Press Enter.
File Explorer opens to a virtual Apps folder. Every installed app appears here: classic Win32 apps, UWP apps, pinned apps, command-line apps.
Sort by name. Browse to find specific apps.
Right-click any app:
- Pin to Start — adds to Start menu.
- Pin to taskbar — adds to taskbar.
- Run as administrator — one-time elevated launch.
- Create shortcut — on desktop.
For UWP apps that don’t appear at all: the app may have been removed by Windows or by a script. Check if installed for current user only:
```
Get-AppxPackage | Where-Object Name -like "*PartialName*"
```
For all users: Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers.

To re-install a removed system app:

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

shell:appsfolder is the “everything is here” view.

Method 3: Use winget to enumerate Store apps

For command-line app discovery.

Open Terminal. winget is pre-installed on Windows 11.
List all installed apps:
```
winget list
```
Shows everything installed via any source (winget, msstore, traditional installers).
Filter by source: only Microsoft Store apps:
```
winget list --source msstore
```
Search the Store catalog for apps you might want:
```
winget search --source msstore "searchterm"
```
For PowerShell-based enumeration: Get-AppxPackage | Format-Table Name, PackageFullName, Version. Lists every UWP app installed.
For deeper details: Get-StartApps. Shows the apps that appear in Start menu, with names and AppIDs.

This is the command-line route for sysadmins and power users.

How to verify the fix worked

Open Store → Library → View all. Owned apps from other devices visible with Install buttons.
Run shell:appsfolder. Every installed app (classic + UWP) is in the list.
Right-click previously “missing” apps to pin to Start. They now appear in Start menu.

If none of these work

If apps still appear missing, the cause may be: Different Microsoft Account: Family Safety shared content stays with each child account. Apps bought on a sibling’s MSA don’t appear in yours. Sign in to the correct MSA. Region-locked apps: some apps are only available in specific countries. Your MSA region might prevent access. Check Settings → Time & language → Country or region. Apps removed by debloat scripts: tools like Windows Debloater, WinUtil, or O&O ShutUp10 remove UWP apps en masse. Use the script’s reinstall mode or manually re-add via PowerShell as in Method 2. For enterprise PCs: Intune may have removed Store apps via policy. Contact IT to add specific apps to the allowed list. Last resort — in-place Windows repair: setup.exe from Windows ISO with “Keep files and apps” option. Reinstalls Windows components including inbox UWP apps.

Bottom line: Store → Library → View all owned shows MSA-purchased apps. shell:appsfolder shows every installed app locally. winget list complements with command-line view.