How to Block Specific Microsoft Store App Updates on Windows 11

Quick fix: The Store has no native per-app update block. The practical paths on Windows 11 are an AppLocker version-pin rule on Pro/Enterprise, an export-then-sideload of the working .appxbundle, or marking your connection as metered to defer all Store updates temporarily.

Most of the time you want every Store app to stay current. But one app updates and breaks a workflow — a graphics tool removes a feature you depend on, a game’s overlay drops support for an old GPU, a productivity app changes its UI in a way that wrecks your muscle memory. The Microsoft Store gives you a global “Pause updates” button but no per-app exclusion. Here’s how to pin one app while letting others continue to update.

What causes this

The Microsoft Store auto-update flow runs through the Microsoft.WindowsStore background process and the StoreSvc service. When the service checks for updates, it queries the Store catalog for newer versions of every installed package and downloads what’s available. There’s no documented per-app opt-out in Settings → Windows Update or in the Store itself — the global toggle is the only switch most users see.

What does exist is per-package version control through AppLocker (Pro and Enterprise editions only), metered-connection throttling at the network layer, and sideloading a saved .appxbundle from a known-good build. Each approach is at a different layer of the stack — pick the one that matches your edition and patience.

Method 1: Stop the bleeding by pausing all Store updates

This is the quickest stopgap when you don’t have time to set up anything else and you need the broken app to stop updating right now.

1. Open the Microsoft Store.
2. Click your profile icon (top right) and choose App settings.
3. Toggle App updates off.
4. Set a calendar reminder for one week — the toggle re-enables itself silently after that period in current builds.

This blocks every Store app from updating until you switch it back on. It’s the right move if you only need a few days to figure out a workaround. For long-term per-app control, use Method 2.

Method 2: Pin a single app with an AppLocker rule (Pro/Enterprise)

AppLocker can deny execution of packaged apps whose version is higher than a specified threshold. The package keeps the right to install but cannot launch a newer build, which forces the Store to leave it alone.

1. Identify the package full name. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run Get-AppxPackage -Name *YourAppName*. Note the Name, Publisher, and current Version.
2. Open secpol.msc (Local Security Policy) and navigate to Application Control Policies → AppLocker → Packaged app Rules.
3. Right-click in the right pane and choose Create New Rule. Set action to Deny, leave the user as Everyone.
4. On Publisher, select the app from the running list, then move the slider to Package version and set And above to (your current version + 0.0.0.1).
5. Click Create and confirm the rule is enabled. Start the Application Identity service (AppIDSvc) if it isn’t running.
6. Open Microsoft Store and click Get updates. The pinned app should be skipped; everything else updates normally.

The deny rule survives reboots and Store sign-outs. To unpin later, delete the rule and run Get updates again.

Method 3: Sideload a known-good version and block the catalog one

When AppLocker isn’t available (Home edition) and metered won’t cut it because you have an Ethernet connection, you can sideload the working version of the package and remove the Store association so the catalog can’t replace it.

1. While the app is still on the working version, export the package: Get-AppxPackage -Name *YourAppName* | Select-Object -Property PackageFullName, InstallLocation. Copy the InstallLocation folder to a backup drive.
2. If you don’t have it backed up, search for the matching .appxbundle on a sister machine running the older version (Settings → Apps → the app → Advanced options shows package details), and use the Microsoft Store’s rg-adguard link generator only for legitimate copies you already own.
3. Uninstall the broken version via Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
4. Enable Developer Mode (Settings → Privacy & security → For developers) so sideloading works.
5. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run Add-AppxPackage -Path "C:\path\to\YourApp.appxbundle".
6. Open Microsoft Store, click your profile, and uncheck App updates for now — the sideloaded version registers as Store-managed but a future update will still try to replace it unless you keep updates paused.

This is the only option that gives Home-edition users a hard stop. The trade-off is you no longer get security fixes for that specific app.

How to verify the fix worked

• Open Microsoft Store, click your profile, click Downloads and updates. The pinned app shouldn’t appear in the queue.
• Run Get-AppxPackage -Name *YourAppName* in PowerShell — the Version should match the one you wanted to keep, not the newer broken build.
• Wait 24 hours and recheck. The Store’s catalog scan runs nightly; if no update appears, the rule is holding.

If none of these work

If the app keeps updating despite an AppLocker rule, the AppIDSvc service may be disabled — set it to Manual in services.msc and reboot. If the rule looks correct but is ignored on a Home edition, AppLocker isn’t enforced there, and you must rely on metered connections or sideloading. For a managed device, contact your IT admin — Intune device-targeted policies can block app updates by package family name through Endpoint Management, which is cleaner than AppLocker for enterprise.

Bottom line: The Store has no friendly per-app update toggle. AppLocker version-pinning is the most reliable path on Pro/Enterprise; sideload + global pause is the realistic option on Home. Don’t expect this to stay clean across major Windows feature updates — review your rules after each.