How to fix missing apps after installing Windows 10 Fall Creators Update

After months of beta testing through the Windows Insider program, Windows 10 Fall Creators Update has finally been released. While the update brings a number of changes and additions to Microsoft's operating system, it has also brought problems for some people.

Among these issues is the apparent disappearance of various apps. This is not down to apps being removed from Windows, but Windows 10 Fall Creators Update has rendered some apps completely inaccessible. If you've experienced this problem, here's how to fix it.

See also:

• How to upgrade your PC to the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update now
• How to rollback and uninstall Windows 10 Fall Creators Update
• Free up 30GB of hard drive space in Windows 10 by cleaning up after the Fall Creators Update

The problem can be a little confusing to start with. You may notice that a particular app has vanished from the Start menu, and also cannot be accessed using Cortana. Yet if you visit the Microsoft Store to reinstall it, you will be told that the app is already installed -- Catch 22!

Microsoft is aware of the issue, and while a proper fix is yet to appear, the company has shared details of a workaround on its Community help pages:

1. Repair or Reset the missing apps
   • Open Settings, and select Apps.
   • On the Apps & features tab, find the name of the missing app.  Click the app and select Advanced options (if available).
   • If a Repair option is available, click Repair.  If this option is not available, or if Repair does not resolve the issue, you may also try the Reset option, though you might lose any app data that was saved.
   • Once the repair or reset is completed, the app should again appear in the app list and can be pinned to the Start Menu.
2. Uninstall and reinstall the missing apps
   • Open Settings, and select Apps.
   • On the Apps & features tab, find the name of the missing app.  Click the app and select Uninstall.
   • Open Store and then reinstall the missing app.  Once installed, the app should appear in the app list, and can be pinned to the Start Menu.
3. Re-register the missing apps using PowerShell – If you have a lot missing apps, advanced users can instead attempt to restore all of them at once using the following PowerShell commands.  Note, however, that if Steps 1 and 2 were already attempted and did not restore your missing apps, this PowerShell solution will also likely not succeed.
   • In Cortana, type PowerShell.  In the search results, right-click Windows PowerShell and select Run as administrator.
   • In the Powershell window type the following commands.  These steps may take a few minutes to complete.
     • reg delete "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\TileDataModel\Migration\TileStore" /va /f
     • get-appxpackage -packageType bundle |% {add-appxpackage -register -disabledevelopmentmode ($_.installlocation + "\appxmetadata\appxbundlemanifest.xml")}
     • $bundlefamilies = (get-appxpackage -packagetype Bundle).packagefamilyname
     • get-appxpackage -packagetype main |? {-not ($bundlefamilies -contains $_.packagefamilyname)} |% {add-appxpackage -register -disabledevelopmentmode ($_.installlocation + "\appxmanifest.xml")}
   • Once the PowerShell commands are completed, the apps should appear in the app list, and can be pinned to the Start Menu.

Alternatively, you can always rollback and uninstall Fall Creators Update.

Image credit: Stanislaw Mikulski/ Shutterstock