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Microsoft Confirms System Restore Bug in Windows 11

Company says apps might be broken after using System Restore

Jan 19, 2023 06:33 GMT  ·  By
Only Windows 11 is affected by the glitch
   Only Windows 11 is affected by the glitch

Microsoft has just confirmed a new bug in Windows 11, as the company discovered that in some cases, the apps installed on a device might no longer work after using a system restore point.

In other words, the software giant says, you could come across various errors when trying to use the apps that are typically distributed in the MSIX package format.

More often than not, you could get a message telling you that “this app can’t open,” essentially blocking you from using the app. In some cases, the app could end up having multiple entries on the Start menu, while occasionally, the app could just freeze when trying to launch.

Unfortunately, such a problem is quite awful news for many users out there. System Restore is an essential part of the Windows experience, especially for IT admins and tech-savvy users who quickly restore their devices whenever something goes wrong and can't be repaired with simple workarounds.

As a result, Microsoft needs to come up with a fix as soon as possible, especially because the impact in the business space could be much more significant overall.

Here are all the symptoms that you could encounter if the System Restore bug occurs on your device:  

  • An error message “This app can’t open” is displayed instead of the app starting.
  • The app might have multiple entries on the Start menu.
  • An app may not respond when you try to start the app.
  • An I/O error may occur, followed by the app not responding, and then the app crashes.
  • If you try to start the app again, the app now runs.

Some of the apps that could end up being impacted by this glitch are Notepad, Paint, Office, and Terminal, Microsoft explains.

The workarounds are rather generic, as users are being told to just restart the app to try to reinstall it from the Microsoft Store. The following workarounds are currently recommended:  

  • Try starting the app again.
  • Try re-installing the app from the Windows Store.
  • Try re-installing the app from the original source from which it was first installed.
  • Try running Windows Update.

Only Windows 11 appears to be affected for the time being, including the recently released 2022 Update.