- Windows 11 has been affected by two new bugs (in addition to other recent bugs)
- One is causing a variety of apps to crash and is apparently related to the Microsoft Store.
- The other is an issue related to cloud services and is again causing some applications to crash, including Outlook.
Windows 11 has had another couple of crashes and people are now having issues with a variety of apps crashing and generally crashing.
Windows Central reports that certain apps are not working for some Windows 11 users, with multiple reports online describing various frustrations, and our sister site has also experienced this issue.
A variety of software is apparently affected, and that includes some of the default Windows 11 apps, such as Notepad and the Snipping tool, as well as MSI’s Armory Crate and the Alienware Command Center app, to name a few examples.
When trying to open the software, the error appears with an error code (0x803f8001 in many cases, or some other meaningless string of garbage, as is typical of so-called ‘stop codes’), as well as a message saying that the app in question is “currently not available on your account” (as shown on Reddit here).
The mention of “account” refers to your Microsoft account, and the error is apparently related to problems with that account and with the Microsoft store.
Windows Central linked to a post on Microsoft’s Learn portal complaining about the issue, where an independent advisor, Harold Milan, chimed in to say that: “Microsoft Store error 0x803f8001 typically occurs when the Store is unable to properly validate app licenses, causing built-in or Store-dependent apps to stop opening or updating. In most cases, this is due to a corrupted Store cache, a temporary Store synchronization issue. Microsoft account or a Store registration failure rather than actual data loss.”
In a separate issue also noted by Windows Central, Windows 11 users are reporting difficulties with some apps freezing when saving files to cloud storage. This happens after installing the January update for the operating system (which appeared last week).
Microsoft admitted that: “After installing Windows updates released on or after January 13, 2026 (KB5074109), some apps may stop responding or experience unexpected errors when opening files or saving them to backed-up cloud storage, such as OneDrive or Dropbox.”
The software giant added: “For example, in some Outlook setups that store PST files in OneDrive, Outlook may stop responding and not reopen unless its process is terminated in Task Manager or the system is restarted.”
This is in addition to issues that already plagued Windows 11 users after the January update, namely broken sleep mode on some PCs and crashes with Outlook as well (which may be related to the aforementioned bug behavior with cloud services in some cases).
After last year’s series of nasty bugs in one form or another, it’s disappointing to see how shaky a start this year has been for Microsoft’s desktop operating system, and sadly I don’t see any evidence of what I was hoping for in 2026 for Windows 11.
What can I do if I am affected by these new errors?
Regarding this last cloud-related problem, there is not much you can do, unless you have a problem with Outlook. In that case, Microsoft explains that “removing the PST files from OneDrive should resolve the issue” with any luck.
For other apps, you can try contacting the developer for help or wait for Microsoft to find a solution. Microsoft notes that it is “working to release a fix for this issue as soon as possible,” but we have no timeline for when that patch will arrive.
The other solution would be to remove the January update that causes all these problems, but that will leave you without security fixes (which is still possibly the lesser of two evils for some people, perhaps). However, be aware of the risks you would take by going this route and leaving some vulnerabilities unpatched.
As for the biggest problem with apps crashing due to glitches related to the Microsoft Store (or your Microsoft account), Windows Central says the solution it found that worked was installing the January update (ironically, given all the conflicts it’s causing elsewhere). However, that doesn’t seem to work for everyone.
Other possible solutions for these app crash errors include resetting the Microsoft Store cache to fix any corruption in it, as mentioned by the independent advisor mentioned above. In fact, this is a possible solution for all kinds of problems with the Microsoft store, and you can follow the instructions here to try it (the process is very simple).
Another trick to try is to simply sign out of the Microsoft Store and then sign back in. You can also try uninstalling and then reinstalling the affected app, which has worked for some according to the many reports of this issue, although if you have multiple apps suffering from this error, that could be tedious.
Finally, simply waiting a bit is another tactic, as some app developers are apparently working in the background on their end – either that, or Microsoft is. Some people have reported that after leaving their PC and coming back later, the problem simply resolved itself.
That would seem to indicate that it might simply be a matter of waiting this out, and hopefully not for long. It may also explain why the January update seemed to fix the issue for Windows Central but not others, as it could be a case of coincidence with that update being applied.
Still, if you’re still frustrated by this bug and haven’t downloaded the January update yet, it’s definitely something you can try, but I’d check out the other suggested solutions first.
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