How I Fixed Microsoft Store & WhatsApp Desktop Crashing on Windows 10

A few days ago, I ran into a super frustrating issue on my Windows 10 machine — Microsoft Store wouldn’t open properly, and WhatsApp Desktop kept crashing right after launch. The Store would just flash for a second and then close. No error, no warning. Same thing with WhatsApp — open, freeze, and vanish.

I figured I’d write this quick post in case anyone else is dealing with the same madness.


🔍 The Problem

  • Microsoft Store: Opened and then closed instantly.
  • WhatsApp Desktop: Launched but crashed every time.
  • Clicking on links like ms-windows-store:PurgeCaches gave me a “Windows cannot find…” error.

Honestly, it looked like something deeper was broken with the Windows UWP (Universal Windows Platform) system, which both apps depend on.


✅ The Fix That Finally Worked

Here’s exactly what I did to fix it — no reinstalls, no crazy registry hacks:

1. Ran DISM to Repair the Windows Image

Open Command Prompt as Administrator, and run:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

This checks and fixes corruption in the system image used to repair Windows components.


2. Ran System File Checker (SFC)

Next, I ran:

sfc /scannow

This scans for corrupted or missing system files and replaces them with clean ones.


3. Reset the Microsoft Store Cache

Then I cleared the Microsoft Store cache with:

wsreset -i

The -i option is key — it launches the Store interactively after clearing the cache. That’s when I saw the magic happen.


🎉 What Happened After That?

  • Microsoft Store launched normally again.
  • WhatsApp Desktop opened perfectly and stayed open.
  • No crashes. No weird messages. It all just worked.

🤔 Why This Works

Apps like Microsoft Store and WhatsApp Desktop (especially the Microsoft Store version of WhatsApp) rely on the UWP framework, and when parts of it get corrupted — either by updates, third-party tools, or just Windows being Windows — apps can silently crash or refuse to open.

Running DISM and SFC restores those base components. And wsreset flushes the app cache, giving the Store a clean slate.


💬 Final Thoughts

If you’re running into issues where apps like Microsoft Store or WhatsApp Desktop crash on startup, try this before reinstalling anything. It’s simple, clean, and in my case, completely solved the problem.

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