How to re-install the Default Built-in Apps in Windows 10

In a previous tutorial, we mentioned the available way(s) to uninstall an app in Windows 10. In this tutorial I 'll show you how to re-install a particular default app or all the default built-in apps on your Windows 10 computer again, by using PowerShell commands. 

Attention: Keep in mind, that from my experience, the easiest and safest way to reinstall all the default apps to your  system, is to perform a Windows 10 Repair with an in-place upgrade.

This tutorial contains two parts:

Part 1. How to Re-install (re-register) a Particular App in Windows 10.

Part 2. How to re-install All Default Built-in Apps in Windows 10.

How to re-install Default Apps in Windows 10.

Step 1. Open PowerShell with Administrative privileges.

First you had to open Windows PowerShell as Administrator. To do that:

1. At Cortana's search box, type powershell *

* Note: On Windows 8, 8.1: Press the "Windows" + "S" keys to open the search box and type powershell.

2. Right click on Windows PowerShell on the results and select Run as administrator.

Step 2. Re-install Apps in Windows 10.

Part 1. How to Re-install (re-register) a Particular App in Windows 10.

1. Before you proceed to re-install a specific App in Windows 10, first you should know the Package's Full Name (PackageFullName) of the App you want to re-install (re-register) for the current user. To get a list of all available packages give this command in PowerShell (Admin) window:

• Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Select Name, PackageFullName

2. The output of the above command is a list that displays of available packages (for installation) on your computer. Look at the list and locate the full name of the package (at the  PackageFullName column) of the App that you want to re-register (re-install) for the current user. (e.g. let's say that we want to uninstall the "Windows Calculator" App).

Tip: If you want to copy & paste the Name or the PackageFullName to another location (e.g. to your Clipboard), just double-click on it until highlighted, and use Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V keyboard commands to do your job.

3. To re-install (re-register) a particular app in Windows 10 (for the current user only), you have to give this command* in PowerShell (Admin) window:

• Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PackageFullName\appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode

* Note: In the above command, replace the "PackageFullName" value with the PackageFullName of the corresponding App you see on the output list.

(In our example, the PackageFullName is: "Microsoft.WindowsCalculator_10.1601.49020.0_x86__8wekyb3d8bbwe"). So, the command should be:

Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.WindowsCalculator_10.1601.49020.0_x86__8wekyb3d8bbwe\AppxManifest.xml"}

4. Finally hit Enter.

Part 2. How to re-install All the Default Built-in Apps in Windows 10.

– To re-install (re-register) all the built-in apps in Windows 10, type the following command in PowerShell (Admin):

• Get-AppxPackage -allusers | foreach {Add-AppxPackage -register "$($_.InstallLocation)\appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode}

That's it!

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Konstantinos Tsoukalas

Konstantinos is the founder and administrator of Wintips.org. Since 1995 he works and provides IT support as a computer and network expert to individuals and large companies. He is specialized in solving problems related to Windows or other Microsoft products (Windows Server, Office, Microsoft 365, etc.).

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