Windows 10 apps can be updated and uninstalled once again

Updated November 22, 2024: Microsoft has withdrawn the WinAppSDK 1.6.2 update, the root cause of Windows 10 users being unable to update or uninstall many apps. BleepingComputer reports that a newer 1.6.3 update that fixes the problem for affected users will be sent out shortly. More information can be found on Microsoft’s support page .

Starting November 12, Windows 10 users have been running into problems when trying to update or uninstall apps. Normally, your first thought would be that such an issue is due to a Windows update… but that’s not the case here!

Yesterday, Microsoft officially confirmed the problem and explained that it’s rooted in an update to the WinAppSDK 1.6.2 package, which was published on November 12. As such, this problem — the inability to update or uninstall — only affects apps that are dependent on WinAppSDK. Unfortunately, a lot of apps are.

When you try to update an affected app through the Microsoft Store, you’ll see the “Something happened on our end” error message. Currently, this issue affects Microsoft Teams and other third-party apps on Windows 10 22H2. Other versions of Windows 10 and all versions of Windows 11 are immune.

Microsoft is aware of the problem and working on a solution, with a footnote stating that a fix will be made available via Windows Update and other methods in “the coming days.”

Until then, if you need an immediate workaround and if you have administrator privileges, you can use these PowerShell instructions to fix affected devices and apps.