Disable Microsoft Store in Windows 11 Home or Pro (GPO)

Many people use Microsoft Store to find apps, games, and other cool stuff on their Windows systems. But sometimes, you or your company might want to block it. Maybe you want to focus more, save internet, follow some rules, or just because you feel like it.

Even though Windows 11 doesn’t give you a simple off switch for Microsoft Store, you can still turn it off. This article shows how to do it on Windows 11 Pro with something called Group Policy Objects (GPO) and on Windows 11 Home using Registry Editor or PowerShell.

How to Disable Microsoft Store in Windows 11 Home or Pro

Note: Be careful. Changing system settings can cause unexpected issues, but you can undo these changes.

Page Contents

Turn off Microsoft Store in Windows 11 Pro with GPO

If you have Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, you can use Group Policy Editor. Here’s how:

Press Windows + R to open the Run box.
Enter “gpedit.msc” and press Enter. This opens the Local Group Policy Editor.
Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Store.
Find “Turn off the Store application” and double-click it.
Choose “Enabled” to turn off Microsoft Store. Click “OK“.
Restart your computer.

If this doesn’t work and you can still get into Microsoft Store, there’s a “Method 3” later using PowerShell to completely remove Windows Store from Windows 11. This works for both Pro and Home versions.

Note: To turn Microsoft Store back on, go back to the policy and pick “Not Configured” or “Disabled“, then restart your computer.

Also see: How to turn off CPU Throttling (Settings) in Windows 11

Turn off Microsoft Store in Windows 11 Home with Registry Editor

Windows 11 Home users don’t have Group Policy Editor. Instead, use Registry Editor. Caution: Always backup your registry or make a system restore point before changing anything.

Press Windows + R, type “regedit“, and hit Enter. Say “Yes” to the User Account Control.

Go to this path in the Registry Editor:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsStore

If you don’t see WindowsStore, right-click on Microsoft, pick “New” then “Key“, and name it “WindowsStore“.
With WindowsStore selected, right-click, choose “New” then “DWORD (32-bit) Value“. Name it “RemoveWindowsStore“. If it’s already there, skip this.
Open “RemoveWindowsStore” and set its value to 1.
Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

Completely remove Microsoft Store in Windows 11 Pro or Home with PowerShell

For those who like using command-line tools or want a fast way, PowerShell can completely remove Microsoft Store from Windows 11.

Open PowerShell as an admin by right-clicking the Start button, picking “Windows PowerShell (Admin)“, and saying “Yes” to the User Account Control prompt.
To remove Microsoft Store for you, type this and press Enter:
```
Get-appxpackage *windowsstore* | remove-appxPackage
```
This command gets rid of Microsoft Store for your user account.

To remove Microsoft Store for everyone using the computer, type this command and hit Enter:

Get-Appxpackage -allusers *windowsstore* | Remove-AppxPackage

If you change your mind and want Microsoft Store back, type this to get it and other built-in apps back:

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

How to reinstall Microsoft Store in Windows 11 PowerShell

Important: These methods uninstall Microsoft Store but don’t block it completely. For tighter control (like in a company), you might need to use both the GPO or Registry methods mentioned before.

Pro tip: 30+ Windows 11 Services to turn off for better gaming

By doing these steps, you can turn off Microsoft Store in Windows 11, depending on what version you have and what tools you prefer. Just make sure you know what you’re doing and always have a way to undo the changes if needed.

Why you might want to turn off Microsoft Store

Here are some reasons to consider this:

Company or school rules: In places like offices or schools, the boss or teachers might want to control what apps you can install. Turning off Microsoft Store helps keep only approved apps available.
Save internet: Downloading big apps or games can use a lot of internet. If you want to save it for other stuff, turning off Microsoft Store can help.
Less distractions: If games and fun apps get in the way of work or study, turning off Microsoft Store can keep you focused.
Better performance: Some think that fewer apps and services running can make your computer a bit faster.
Simple setup: Some people just like a clean and simple computer without extra apps from app stores.

To conclude

Turning off Microsoft Store in Windows 11 can be for different reasons, like personal choice or following rules. It’s important to think about why you’re doing it. You can use different ways to turn it off, depending on your Windows version. Just be careful and make sure you can go back if you need to.