How to Disable or Enable the Microsoft Store on Windows

The Microsoft Store is a great tool that helps you download your favorite games and other apps. However, there may be times when you want to disable this tool.

For example, you can disable the Microsoft Store if other people use it to download apps without your permission. Or, you can disable the tool if it keeps sending you random notifications (it doesn’t matter how many times you disable these notifications.)

As such, let’s explore the solutions to disable and enable the Microsoft Store.

1. Use Local Group Policy Editor (LGPE)

You can apply this method only if you are using Windows Pro, Education and Enterprise versions. If you are using the Home edition, you need to apply some tricks first to access LGPE on Windows Home.

If not, here are the steps to disable or enable the Microsoft Store using LGPE:

1. Hurry Win + R to open the Run Command dialog box.
2. Type gpedit.msc and press Walk in to open the LGPE.
3. Move towards Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Store.
4. Double click on the Disable Store app option in the right pane.

To disable the Microsoft Store, select Enabled. Otherwise, select Not configured Where Disabled to activate the Microsoft Store app. Finally, click Apply then click OKAY to save these changes.

2. Use Registry Editor

Registry Editor is an amazing tool that can help you configure various system settings. In this case, we will see how you can use it to disable or enable the Microsoft Store application.

Before you begin, back up the registry in case something goes wrong.

Now, here are the steps to enable or disable the Microsoft Store using Registry Editor:

1. Hurry Win + R to open the Run Command dialog box.
2. Type Regedit in the search field and press Walk in to open Registry Editor.
3. Copy-paste the following command into the address bar and press Walk in:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoft

From there, follow these steps:

1. Right click on the Microsoft button and select New > Key.
2. Name the new key as Windows Store then press Walk in.

Then right click on the Windows Store button and select New > DWORD (32-bit) value. From there, name the value as “RemoveWindowsStore” then press Walk in.

To disable the Microsoft Store, double-click the RemoveWindowsStore value and set its Value data at 1. Otherwise, set the Value data at 0 (zero) to activate the Microsoft Store.

From there, press the OKAY button. Finally, close Registry Editor and restart your device to save these changes.

3. Use Software Restriction Policies in Local Security Policy

The Software Restriction Policies option in the Local Security Policy can help. Here’s how you can use this feature to enable or disable the Microsoft Store:

1. Hurry Win + R to open the Run Command dialog box.
2. Type secpol.msc in the search field and press Walk in to open the local security policy.
3. Click it Software restriction policies option on the left side. Then right click on Additional Rules to the right and select New path rule.
4. Type %programfiles%WindowsAppsMicrosoft.WindowsStore* in the path area.

To disable the Microsoft Store, click the security level drop-down menu and select Refuse. You can also click the drop-down button and select Free to activate the Microsoft Store. Finally, press Apply then press OKAY.

4. Use AppLocker settings in local security policy

The AppLocker tool also allows you to easily enable or disable the Microsoft Store. In fact, this is a brilliant feature to use if you want to enable or disable a Windows app.

Here are the steps you need to follow:

1. Type Local Security Policy in the Start menu search bar. Then right click on the Best Match result and click Execute as administrator.
2. Move towards Application Control Policies > AppLocker > Packaged Application Rules.
3. Right-click on an empty space on the right side and select Create a new rule.
4. Click it Next button in the Before you start filter.
5. Check the To refuse button in the Permissions screen to disable the Microsoft Store. Otherwise, click the Allow button to activate the tool.

Click on Next Continue. From there, follow these steps once you land on the Editor filter:

1. Check the Use an installed package app as a reference option. From there, click on the Select button to search Microsoft Store.
2. On the next screen, check the Microsoft Store box then click OKAY. This should bring you back to the editor screen.

Click on Next on the Editor screen, then click Next again when you get to Exceptions filter.

Finally, type a name in the Description (optional) box on the Name and Description the window. For example, you can type something like “A tool to activate or deactivate the Microsoft Store.” Otherwise, you can skip this step.

Finally, click on the Create button.

If you selected “To refuse” in the Permissions screen, the Microsoft Store should be disabled. To re-enable the Microsoft Store later, follow these steps:

1. Open the Local Security Policy and access the Packaged Application Rules option according to the previous steps.
2. Double click on the Microsoft Store option on the right side.
3. Navigate to the General tongue.
4. Check the Allow button to reactivate the Microsoft Store. Finally, press Apply then press OKAY to apply these changes.

5. Use system settings to enable or disable the app from running in the background

There are times when you don’t want to completely disable the Microsoft Store. Instead, you might only be interested in preventing the app from sending you tons of notifications.

In this case, you can disable the tool from running in the background. This way, the app won’t send you random notifications.

Here are the steps to disable the Microsoft Store from running in the background:

1. Type Settings in the Start menu search bar and select the Best match. You can also try the different ways to access Windows Settings.
2. Select Privacy among the options. Next, scroll down on the left side, then select Background apps.
3. Scroll down and locate the Microsoft Store on the right side. To prevent the tool from running in the background, switch off the button next to this option. Alternately, to light up the button to allow the app to run in the background.

Activating or deactivating the Microsoft Store is not complicated

Disabling the Microsoft Store prevents others from downloading unwanted apps to your device. Meanwhile, activating the app can help you get rid of error messages like “Microsoft Store is blocked”.

Now, whether you want to disable or enable the Microsoft Store, try one of the tips we’ve covered. If you can’t run the app when it’s activated, there are a few other solutions you should try.