How to fix uninstall error 0x80073CFA in Windows 10 and 11

Error 0x80073CFA is a Microsoft Store app uninstall issue on Windows 10 and 11. It usually occurs when you try to uninstall an app, accompanied by an error message that says, “We couldn’t uninstall “.

Unfortunately, if you’re trying to uninstall the app to fix an error, the error may prevent you from doing any diagnostics. As such, here are some potential resolutions for the 0x80073CFA error in Windows 11 and 10.

1. Run Windows Apps Troubleshooter

Windows Store Apps Troubleshooter is a tool to fix all kinds of MS Store app issues. That doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to resolve the 0x80073CFA error, but it’s a troubleshooter worth trying.

Here’s how to run it on Windows 11:

1. Launch Settings by clicking that app’s pinned shortcut in the Start menu.
2. Select Solve problems (a navigation option in Settings’ System tab) and Other troubleshooters.
3. Scroll down to Windows Store Apps and click the Run option to start that troubleshooter.

4. Apply any potential fixes presented to you by the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter.

Since the Windows 10 Settings app has a slightly different layout, you’ll need to select Update and security > Solve problems. Then select the Additional troubleshooters navigation link from there. In the list of troubleshooters, click “Windows Store Apps.”

2. Run system image and file scans

Corrupted system files are a common culprit for uninstall errors. The System File Checker and Deployment Image Servicing and Management command-line tools can repair and restore files to correct Windows functions. Here’s how to use them:

1. Open the command prompt with administrator rights. Our beginner’s guide to Command Prompt has more information on how to do this.
2. Enter and run (press Get into) this image service command:

   DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth 

3. Then tap and run the following scan command:

   sfc /scannow

4. The scan will likely take 15-30 minutes to complete, but sometimes it will take longer. Hold on tight until the scan indicates it’s done.
5. Restart the window after running the scans.

3. Reset Microsoft Store cache

Corrupted Microsoft Store cache data is another possible cause of uninstall error 0x80073CFA in Windows 11 and 10. Resetting the cache will help remove any corrupted data it may contain. This is how to reset cache data with the WSReset.exe command:

1. Open the command prompt window with administrator user rights.
2. Enter this command to reset the Microsoft Store cache:

   WSReset.exe 

3. Press Get into to run the WSReset command and clear the cache.
4. Select the Restart (Windows) after resetting Microsoft Store.

4. Uninstall affected apps with PowerShell

Most of the users trying to fix error 0x80073CFA are probably using Windows Settings to uninstall their apps from MS Store. However, the error may not occur if you try to uninstall your apps in another way. For example, you can try to uninstall affected apps with PowerShell like this:

1. Press Victory+ yes on your keyboard and type Shell Power in the file search box.
2. Open Windows PowerShell by clicking your matching search result with the right mouse button and selecting Execute as an administrator.
3. Next, enter this command to list apps and press Return:

   Get-Appxpackage -Allusers 

4. Copy the PackageFullName for an application by selecting it and pressing Control + C.

5. Enter this app uninstall command and press the Return button, replacing [PackageFullName] with the app title name you copied in step four. There is no need to write it; just press CTRL+V to stick it.

   Remove-AppxPackage -Package [PackageFullName]

For example, the command to uninstall the Photos app looks like this:

Remove-AppxPackage -Package Microsoft.Windows.Photos_2022.31070.26005.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

5. Switch to an administrator account

Uninstall issues can arise when a user’s account does not have sufficient administrator account permissions to remove certain software. If you are using a standard Windows user account, you may need to switch to an administrator account to resolve error 0x80073CFA.

You can change a standard user account to an administrator alternative through the Control Panel as follows:

1. Open Run and type Control Panel in the command box of that accessory.
2. Click okay to view the Control Panel.
3. Select User account to open that applet.
4. Click on the Change your account type navigation option.

5. Select the Administrator radio button.

6. press the Change account type option.
7. Reboot your computer, and then try to uninstall apps in your administrator account.

Alternatively, you can try setting up a completely new administrator account and uninstall apps from it. You can transfer user data from your old account to your new one. Our guide to create a new user account to solve Windows problems provides more details on how to do it.

6. Uninstall apps after a clean boot of Windows 11

Clean Boot sets the startup settings in System Settings to exclude all third-party applications and services from startup. Doing so will ensure that there are no third-party programs that might conflict with the UWP app uninstall process. One of our guides tells you how to clean boot Windows 11 with MSConfig and Task Manager.

Restart Windows 11 when you have set up clean boot and then try to uninstall UWP apps to check if error 0x80073CFA persists. Otherwise, you know there must be at least one conflicting third-party app or service causing the problem. The error is likely to return if you restore the original boot configuration without identifying which service or application is causing the problem.

7. Reinstall the app from the Microsoft Store

Users have confirmed that reinstalling the Microsoft Store app can resolve the 0x80073CFA error. To do that, you can run a general command to reinstall all pre-installed Windows 11 apps within an elevated PowerShell. Here are the steps to reinstall Microsoft Store on Windows:

1. Start Windows PowerShell as described in the first two steps of resolution four.
2. Then enter this application reinstall command:

   Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"} 

3. Press Get into to reinstall MS Store.
4. Restart Windows after running the PowerShell command.

If the above command returns an error, try adding:Verbose to the end of it before executing it. Then rerun the original command specified in step two. The modified command should look like this:

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml" -Verbose} 

8. Windows factory reset

Factory reset restores Windows to default settings by reinstalling the platform. Windows 11/10. We only recommend that you try this possible solution for the 0x80073CFA error as a last resort, as it will require you to reinstall any software packages that were not pre-installed with Windows. However, the Reset This PC tool has at least one option that you can select to preserve user files after the reset.

If you want to try applying this resolution, check out our guide to factory reset Windows. That guide includes four alternative methods with which you can restore the operating system to factory settings. Reset Windows 11/10 with the Reset this PC utility so you can select to keep user files.

Get Error 0x80073CFA Sorted Out on Your PC

Those resolutions will probably get the error 0x80073CFA sorted out on your Windows 11/10 PC so you can uninstall UWP apps again. However, we do not promise guaranteed solutions for everyone. At least try some of those possible solutions before contacting Microsoft Windows Support about error 0x80073CFA.