Settings app is a critical component of Windows 11 operating system that allows users to access and manage a wide range of system settings. These settings are important to customize Windows, optimize system setup including activation and updating Windows. Sometimes the Settings app doesn’t work due to unknown reasons and users may not be able to access the important system settings. However, the issue is manageable with a few clear and quick methods. In this article, we will guide you on how to fix the Settings app not working issue in Windows 11.
Fix Settings app Not Working Issue in Windows 11
There can be two types of problems you face with Settings app:
- App does not open at all
- App opens but crashes or not function properly
Depending upon the situation, you can follow the below listed suggestions to fix the issue. Let’s get started.
1. Restart Settings app
The simplest step to resolve the issue of the Settings app not working is to restart the app. It will clear any temporary data, used memory, and also free up resources consumed by the app, causing it to work more efficiently. Restarting the app does not mean simply closing and reopening the app. Follow the below instructions to properly restart the Settings app:
- First, make sure to save all your work and close the open apps.
- Right-click on the Start button and select “Task Manager”.
- Now find “Windows Explorer” under “Processes” column. Right-click on it and select “Restart” option from the context menu. Alternatively, you can click on “Restart task” from the top menu list.
- This will close all hanging processes and restart the Settings app.
Close the Task Manager and open Settings app to check whether it is working or not.
2. Run System Scan from Command Prompt
Next method to fix the Settings app not working issue in Windows 11 is to run the system scan from Command Prompt. This will scan for corrupted or missing system files in your operating system and repair them. This is how you can perform a system file scan:
- First, Click on the Search button and type “cmd” in the search bar. Then right-click on it and select “Run as administrator”.
- Now type the command
sfc /scannowand press enter key. It will begin the system scan and wait for a while until the system scan is completed.
Then restart the computer to see if the Settings app opens and working properly.
3. Reregister the App from Windows PowerShell
Next method to fix Settings not working issue is to reregister the app using Windows PowerShell. This will help you to re-register all the apps of the Windows Store including the Settings app. Let’s see how to use Windows PowerShell to resolve our issue:
- Click on the Search button and type “Windows PowerShell” in the search bar. Right-click on the app from the results and select “Run as administrator” option.
- Now type the following command and hit on enter key.
Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
- This will take a few minutes to complete, wait until then.
Restart your computer and check for the Settings app.
4. Update Windows Using Windows 11 Installation Media
Another method to fix the Settings app issue is updating Windows 11 using create Windows 11 Installation Media. This will replace the current version of Windows 11 on your PC with the latest version, which can help to resolve any issues with the Settings app. This is a lengthy process and needs at least 8 GB empty USB drive. Make sure to take a system backup and keep your USB device ready before starting the process. Here we will explain the summary, you can check out the complete guide on how to create bootable ISO file for Windows.
- Open Edge browser and go to the official Microsoft website. Scroll down and click on“Download Now” under the “Create Windows 11 Installation Media”option.
- Then open the “mediacreationtool.exe” downloaded file and accept the agreement by pressing “Accept” button. Select your language and edition, this will be already selected based on your PC’s current setup and click “Net” to continue further.
- Select “USB flash drive” option in the next screen and click “Next” button.
- After the downloading process is completed, click on the “Finish” button. Now insert the USB, restart the system and change the booting sequence to boot from USB from your BIOS/UEFI settings. When the system boots up from USB, follow the instructions to reinstall Windows 11. After that, you need to change the booting sequence again to boot from your hard drive.
Now, open Settings app and check if it works or not upon successful installation.
5. Create a New Admin Account
Sometimes Settings app does not work because of the corrupted user account data. To eliminate the possibility of the issue caused by a corrupted user account, create a new admin account. This user account will have similar access and permissions as that of the original administrator user account.
Follow the below instructions to create a new admin account in Windows 11:
- Go to the Search button and type “cmd” in the search bar and right-click on it. Then select “Run as administrator”.
- Type the following command and then press enter key. Make sure to replace the username/password with the name/password that you want to give to your new admin account.
net user username password /add- After that, type the next command as given below and press enter key. Again, replace the username with the name of your new admin account.
net localgroup administrators username /add.
After running both the commands, you should see a message showing “The command completely successfully”. This is how you can quickly create a new admin account in your system. Login with your new admin account and then try using the Settings app. Hopefully, it will work.
6. Enable Settings in Registry Editor
Next method to fix the Settings app issue is using the Registry Editor. Sometimes this problem is caused due to the registry key responsible for controlling the app. Let’s see how to enable the Settings app in Registry Editor. Before that it’s a good idea to take a backup of your registry entries so that you can restore if required.
- Press “Windows and R” keys to open Run dialog box. Then type “regedit” and hit OK.
- Go to the following path (copy paste the path in address bar and press enter).
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Windows > CurrentVersion > Policies > Explorer- Right-click on the right-side pane and select “New > DWord (32-bit) Value”.
- Rename it as “NoControlPanel” and double click on it.
- Set the “Value data” to 0 and click “OK” button.
Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer to check for the Settings app to confirm whether it works.
7. Repair and Reset Settings App
If the Settings opens and crashes frequently, then the simple method to fix this issue is to reset and repair the app. This will resolve any issue related to missing or damaged files. Let’s see how to reset the Settings app:
- Click Start icon and type “Settings” in the search bar.
- Right-click on the Settings app showing in the results and select “App settings” option.
- Scroll down and find the “Reset” section. First, click on the “Repair” button and then click on the “Reset” button.
Repairing will not affect any app data. However, resetting will delete the customized app data and reset the app to initial state.
8. Run Windows Troubleshooter
Sometimes the apps you installed from Microsoft Store can cause problems with the system settings and result in affecting the stability of Settings app. In such a case, you can use the in-built Windows Store Apps troubleshooter to fix the Settings app not working issue in Windows 11. This will automatically diagnose and resolve the issues from all Microsoft Store apps and allow the Settings app to work properly without interference. Like previous option, you can use this option only when the Settings app is opening but does not work properly.
- Press “Windows + I” to open the Settings app or in the search bar of the Start menu, type “Settings” and open the app.
- Navigate to “System > Troubleshoot > Other Troubleshooters” section.
- Scroll down and click on the “Run” button in front of the “Windows Store Apps” option. It will start detecting the issues and also automatically resolve them.
- After the troubleshooting is completed, close the app and restart your computer to check whether the Settings app is working stable.
Final Words
All the above-mentioned methods are straightforward solutions to fix the Settings app not working issue in Windows 11. First five methods are useful when you are not able to open the app and the rest two can be used when you can access the app. You can try each one of them, until you find the solution to fix the Settings app.
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