When Microsoft Store downloads stall, fail with codes like 0x80070005 or 0x80131500, or reset themselves in a loop, the cause sits in one of three layers: the Store app's own cache, the Windows Update and Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) components the Store depends on, or a policy/region mismatch on your Microsoft account. Fix them in that order. Rushing to a full Windows reinstall before clearing the Store cache and resetting the Windows Update components wastes hours. Each repair below names the exact menu path, command, or file you need, states what a successful result looks like, and explains the failure case most guides skip.
Clear the Store Cache and Reset the App Before Anything Else
Microsoft's own support pages treat a cache clear as the first diagnostic step, because stale cache files account for a large share of stalled downloads. The Store keeps its cache in a folder you can reach with wsreset. Run wsreset.exe from the Start menu search or a Run dialog, then leave the black console window alone β it closes on its own and opens the Store when finished.
Watch what happens during the reset. If the console flashes and closes in under a second with the Store never appearing, the cache clear failed. That usually means the Microsoft.WindowsStore\LocalState folder is locked by another process, or the Store's AppX package is corrupted. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find Microsoft Store, choose Advanced options, then Repair first and Reset second. Repair keeps your settings; Reset wipes the app's local data, including sign-in state.
If the Store still will not open or wsreset still exits early, move to PowerShell. Run Get-AppxPackage -allusers Microsoft.WindowsStore | Forename PackageFullName to read the package name, then Get-AppxPackage -allusers Microsoft.WindowsStore | Reset-AppxPackage in Windows 11 to restore the default registration. Windows 10 lacks Reset-AppxPackage, so you re-register with Add-AppxPackage -register "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.WindowsStore_*" -DisableDevelopmentMode after taking ownership of that folder.
One failure case that trips people up: a Store reset on a Microsoft account with pending purchases can clear the local download queue, so the purchased app appears in your library but never resumes. After any reset, open the Store library and start the download manually rather than waiting for it to resume on its own. Sign in again first if the reset signed you out.
Confirm the Download Failure Is the Store and Not the Network
Rule out your connection before touching system components, because a captive portal, a metered network, or a VPN shows the same symptoms as a broken Store. Open a browser and load a large page β if that works, your baseline internet is fine. Then check whether Windows itself can reach Microsoft's servers by running Test-NetConnection against a known Microsoft endpoint, or simply open Windows Update and click Check for updates; if Windows Update also fails, the fault is network or the Windows Update service, not the Store app.
The Store respects the "Set as metered connection" flag on Wi-Fi networks. If you turned that on for a hotspot, the Store will refuse large downloads while Settings still claims you have connectivity. Turn off metered mode under Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi > your network > Metered connection, or the Store will keep pausing even on an unlimited connection.
VPNs and DNS filters break Store downloads in a specific way: the app page loads but the download sits at "Pending" or 0 percent, because the Store's content delivery host resolves through a filter that blocks it. Disconnect the VPN, or switch DNS to your ISP's default or a public resolver, then retry. Corporate networks with a proxy often block the Store entirely β confirm with your IT team whether the update endpoints are allow-listed before you conclude Windows is at fault.
Use the built-in troubleshooter as a quick triage. Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters > Windows Store Apps runs a script that resets the Store cache and checks service state. It fixes simple cache cases but cannot repair a corrupted Windows Update database, so treat a "couldn't identify the problem" result as a sign to continue to the component repair section rather than as evidence nothing is wrong.
Reset Background Intelligent Transfer Service and Windows Update Components
BITS does the actual file transfer for Store downloads, and Windows Update components supply the metadata the Store checks against. If either service is disabled or its database is corrupt, downloads fail with codes like 0x80246007 or 0x80070422. Open an elevated Command Prompt (Run as administrator) and work through the sequence below, which mirrors Microsoft's documented reset procedure.
1: Run net stop wuauserv, net stop bits, net stop cryptsvc, and net stop msiserver. Each should report it stopped or was not started. 2: Rename C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution to SoftwareDistribution.old, and C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 to catroot2.old. If a file is in use, the stop in step 1 did not take β retry it or reboot first. 3: Run net start cryptsvc, net start bits, net start wuauserv, and net start msiserver. 4: Return to the Store and start the download again.
If a rename in step 2 fails with "access denied," the Cryptographic Services or Windows Update service is still running. Check services.msc, set their Startup type to Automatic, start them, then repeat. Never delete the folders outright β removing catroot2 without a backup can break Windows Update until the next feature update.
Run the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter after the reset as a validation step: Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters > Windows Update. A green "Fixed" result on service registration means the reset worked. If it returns "Issues found" that it cannot fix, capture the exact error code and search Microsoft's error code reference rather than guessing further.
On Windows 10, the equivalent check is Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters. The reset commands above work identically on Windows 10 and 11; the differences are in the Settings UI and the presence of Reset-AppxPackage, not in the service names or folder paths. If your build predates the 2019 Windows Update changes, the SoftwareDistribution folder location is the same but the service restart may require a reboot to take effect.
Fix Account, Region, and Payment Problems That Block the Download
A download that fails with 0x80131500, "something happened on our end," or a payment prompt usually traces to the Microsoft account signed into the Store, not to Windows. Sign out of the Store and back in through Settings > Accounts > Your info, or by clicking your profile picture in the Store. Then verify the account's region under Settings > Accounts > Your info > Country or region.
Store licenses are region-bound. An app you bought while your account's region was the United States and now download while the region is the United Kingdom will fail with a licensing error. The Store shows an error code, not a clear explanation. Change the region to match the purchase, complete the download, then change it back β Microsoft allows region changes but limits how often, so keep a note of the original.
Free apps fail differently. A scan of Microsoft's support community shows that 0x80073CF9 and 0x80073D05 commonly indicate a failed package registration: the Store downloaded the file but Windows could not install it. Resolution is the AppX repair from the first section, plus making sure the Microsoft Store Install Service is running β check services.msc for it and confirm it is Automatic.
Payment and entitlement errors mimic download failures. If the app is paid and the Store throws a billing prompt that never completes, verify the payment method under the Microsoft account's Payment & billing page, and confirm the purchase is absent from your library. If the purchase shows in your library, the payment already cleared; the fault is in the download, not the account.
Repair System Files When Corrupted Components Survive Every Reset
When cache resets, BITS restarts, and account checks all pass but downloads still fail, the remaining suspect is corrupted Windows component files. Run sfc /scannow in an elevated Command Prompt first β it reads the System File Checker's repair store and replaces damaged protected files. A clean result here means the corruption is above the SFC layer, which is where DISM comes in.
Run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth next. The /RestoreHealth switch pulls replacement files from Windows Update, so an internet connection is required. Watch the progress bar; a jump from 20 percent to 100 percent is normal, but a return of Error 0x800f081f means the restore source is unavailable and you must supply an install image with the /Source parameter pointing to a mounted Windows ISO at sources\install.wim.
Order matters. SFC repairs from the local store; DISM repairs the local store itself. If you run DISM before SFC and DISM succeeds, SFC then has a healthy store to draw on. If you run SFC first on a truly corrupted store, SFC may fail with 0x800f081f. Microsoft's component documentation recommends DISM as the container repair and SFC as the file repair, so run DISM first when you have both to do.
The time cost is real. On a SATA SSD, sfc /scannow runs 8 to 15 minutes on a typical consumer machine and DISM /RestoreHealth takes 10 to 20 minutes; on a mechanical drive, budget 30 minutes or more for each. Run them with the laptop on mains power β a sleep during DISM leaves the component store half-written and can trigger the very corruption you are fixing.
Reset Network Stack and Store Transport When Downloads Freeze Midway
An install that downloads fully but fails at 100 percent on "Applying" is a transport or installation-host problem, not a content problem. The Store stages downloads in C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download and hands them to the AppX deployment service. If that handoff fails, the progress bar reaches 100 percent and then throws an error. Start with the specifically named network resets rather than the generic "reset your router" advice.
Run netsh winsock reset and netsh int ip reset in an elevated Command Prompt, then reboot. The winsock reset clears corrupted socket registrations that can cause the Store's content host to disconnect mid-transfer. Run ipconfig /flushdns afterward to clear any stale cache entries pointing at a failed host.
Check the Windows Store Install Service and the AppX Deployment Service (AppXSvc) are set to their default Startup types β AppX Deployment is Manual by default on current builds and starts on demand, so a disabled setting here is the abnormality to look for. If either shows Disabled, set it to Manual or Automatic, then retry. Third-party "debloat" scripts and privacy tools routinely disable both, which is a common cause of downloads that reach 100 percent and fail.
Change the Store's download behavior as a workaround for flaky connections by turning off "Download over metered connections" in the Store settings if it is not already off, and pause and resume a stuck download from the Downloads pane to force a transport refresh. If the resume immediately re-stalls at the same percentage, the staged file is corrupt β delete it from the Download folder and restart the download from the library.
Reset or Re-Register the Store When Every Repair Fails
After cache clears, service resets, component repair, and network resets, a Store that still fails is usually a broken AppX package registration with no recoverable local state. Uninstall and reinstall the Store package in PowerShell. Run Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.WindowsStore | Remove-AppxPackage to remove it, then Get-AppxPackage -allusers Microsoft.WindowsStore | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"} to restore the built-in version.
Windows 10 and Windows 11 differ here. Windows 11's Reset-AppxPackage command is cleaner, so use it first. On Windows 10, if the manifest re-registration fails with "path not found," the Store package was likely removed by an image customization; run Add-AppxPackage -Register against the WindowsApps\Microsoft.WindowsStore_8wekyb3d8bbwe folder path visible under C:\Program Files\WindowsApps. If that folder is missing, run Windows Update's Check for updates to let the servicing stack restore the package from the component store.
A re-registration can take 2 to 5 minutes on an older machine because the manifest has dependencies. Do not close the window early. If the command returns an error, capture the full text β 0x80073CF6 means a dependency package is missing (usually the VCLibs framework), which the Store also downloads; install VCLibs from the library first, then re-register.
Consider time against cost before escalating further. Sarwar and colleagues' 2018 survey found Windows boot and maintenance overheads consume a meaningful share of a technician's billable hour, and Microsoft's own reinstall process on a modern SSD takes 20 to 40 minutes plus re-application of updates and apps afterward. If three rounds of the above do not fix downloads, a Windows 11 in-place upgrade over the existing installation is faster than a clean install and preserves files and most settings; do that before wiping the drive.
Avoid the Repairs That Break Future Store Downloads
Many "fixes" circulating in forums cause the next failure. Deleting C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution entirely rather than renaming it can break Windows Update until a feature update recreates the folder. Turning off Windows Update or BITS to "speed up" the PC disables the Store's download path outright. Running registry cleaners over the AppX registry hives risks leaving package registrations inconsistent.
Permission changes are the other trap. Granting Everyone full control over C:\Windows\Apps or the WindowsApps\Microsoft.WindowsStore_8wekyb3d8bbwe folder breaks the AppX integrity check and causes installs to fail with 0x80073CF9. If a guide asks you to take ownership and change permissions on WindowsApps, stop and use the re-registration route instead.
Keep the Store updated as a baseline. Store updates ship through the Store app itself under Library > Get updates, and an outdated Store client often cannot download newer app packages that require its newest transport. Also confirm the Windows version: Store transport changes are tied to Windows servicing builds, and an OS two feature updates behind can fail to install apps that require the current Store stack.
Prevention is simple. Do not run debloat scripts that strip Store services; leave BITS, Windows Update, and AppXSvc in their defaults; and keep a clean network path for the first retry after any failure. A five-minute cache reset now costs less than an hour of chasing a corrupt component store later.
FAQ
What does error 0x80131500 mean for Store downloads?
It is a generic Store client failure that most often means the app's cache or its network connection to Microsoft's content servers is broken, so treat it as a cache or DNS issue before touching services. Clear the cache with wsreset.exe and switch off any VPN and rerun the download. If it returns immediately, the account region is usually the culprit. Check Settings > Accounts > Your info > Country or region against the purchase.
How long should I wait before assuming a Store download has failed?
A download that shows 0 percent for more than 10 minutes on a connection above 25 Mbps is stalled, because the Store normally fetches metadata within a minute. Small apps under 50 MB typically finish in under 30 seconds on that speed. Monitor the Downloads pane: a progress figure that increases by 1 percent every few minutes is slow but alive. A figure frozen for 10 minutes is dead, and the correct action is pause, resume, then delete and restart.
Can a single bad app install break every other Store download?
Yes, in a specific way. A package that fails at the registration stage leaves an AppX staging entry behind, and the deployment service refuses subsequent packages until the staging folder is cleared. The affected folder sits under C:\Program Files\WindowsApps with a name containing .staged. The safe route is App Settings > Apps > Installed apps > Microsoft Store > Advanced options > Repair, not manual deletion, because manual folder removal can invalidate the Store's registration state.
Does changing my Microsoft account region fix 0x80073CF9?
Only if the error is region-related, which 0x80073CF9 usually is not. That code is a package registration failure, meaning the file reached the machine but Windows could not install it β usually a stale Store install service or a corrupted AppX staging folder. The region fix applies to licensing errors such as 0x803F8001. Before changing region, run the AppX repair from the first section.
Is it safe to run sfc and DISM back to back?
Yes, and Microsoft's component documentation recommends DISM before SFC when both are needed, since DISM repairs the container that SFC draws from. Both are read-and-replace operations on protected system files, not destructive. Run them from an elevated prompt on mains power. If DISM returns 0x800f081f, supply a mounted Windows ISO with the /Source switch; otherwise the repair cannot complete.
Why does the Store download finish at 100 percent and then fail?
The download completed but the handoff to the AppX Deployment Service failed, so the failure is on the install side, not the network side. The usual cause is AppXSvc or the Windows Store Install Service disabled by a debloat script. Set both to Manual or Automatic in services.msc, then delete the staged file from the SoftwareDistribution Download folder and restart the install.
Which Store repair costs the most time?
The full sequence of sfc and DISM on a mechanical drive is the slowest, at roughly 30 to 60 minutes combined, compared with 1 to 5 minutes for a cache reset and 10 to 15 minutes for a BITS and Windows Update reset. That ordering β cheap and reversible first, expensive and deep last β is why the repairs in this article follow it. Only escalate to a Windows in-place upgrade after all earlier stages fail.
Can a proxy or school network permanently block Store downloads?
A proxy or filtered school or corporate network can block the Microsoft content host entirely, and no local reset will change that. Confirm with the network administrator whether Store endpoints are allow-listed, and test on a mobile hotspot as the external check. If the hotspot download succeeds while the office network fails, the cause is the network and local repairs are wasted effort.