Microsoft confirms problems with updating and uninstalling apps on Windows 10

A late prototype of the Windows 10 stock wallpaper found in a leaked Windows 11 build

In addition to dealing with a new wave of full-screen Windows 11 ads, users with Windows 10 PCs are now facing issues with updating or uninstalling applications. Microsoft has confirmed the bug and posted details on the official Windows Health Dashboard website.

Unlike other known issues in Windows 10 and 11, the latest bug is not related to a certain Windows update or security patch. Microsoft says that the problem hides within the WinAppSDK 1.6.2 package, which was published on November 12, 2024. As a result, when users attempt to update a packaged program that relies on WinAppSDK, the Microsoft Store throws the "Something happened on our end" error.

IT admins who manage packaged apps with PowerShell are getting the following:

If you are an IT administrator trying to manage packaged apps through PowerShell using ‘Get-AppxPackage’ command you might observe the error ‘Deployment failed with HRESULT: 0x80073CFA’, ‘Please contact your software vendor. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80073CFA’) in PowerShell.

The bug affects all sorts of apps. Microsoft Teams and other first and third-party applications currently cannot update on Windows 10 due to the WinAppSDK bug. Microsoft says it is working on fixing the problem via a Windows update or other methods, and a patch should be available in a few days. Meanwhile, IT admins can check out GitHub for some PowerShell instructions to fix affected devices and stuck applications.

It is also worth noting that Windows 11 is immune to the problem. According to Microsoft, only Windows 10 version 22H2 is affected, so users with newer Windows releases should not have any issues with updating or uninstalling packaged applications. Win32 applications are also unaffected both on Windows 10 and 11.

This is the second time Windows 10 users are having problems with apps. At the beginning of November, Microsoft notified users that certain apps won't start after installing KB5043131. Microsoft resolved the problem in KB5046613, which was released on November 12, 2024.