Windows 11 Photos "Package Could Not Be Registered": What It Means and How to Fix It
Photos won't open and says "Package could not be registered"? It's not a known Windows 11 bug right now. Here are Microsoft's own fixes, in order.
If the Photos app on your Windows 11 PC won't open your pictures and pops up "Package could not be registered", the message points at the app rather than your pictures: Windows can't set up the Photos app itself. Microsoft documents a short list of fixes, from a two-click repair in Settings to a reinstall from the Microsoft Store, and most people won't need to go past the first few. Before you start, though, if a search turns up a story about Microsoft's "temporary workaround" for a Photos bug, check the date: it's about a different bug that Microsoft fixed in 2024.
What does the error mean?
Photos is a Store app, delivered as a Windows app package that Windows has to register before the app can run. When that step fails, you get this message. Microsoft's developer documentation lists the same wording under error code 0x80073CF6, "The package can't be registered", and Winhelponline's guide to the Photos pop-up ties it to that code. Microsoft's support pages for the problem don't name one cause; they give a sequence of fixes instead.
Is this a new Windows 11 bug?
Not one Microsoft has acknowledged. Its Windows release health pages for Windows 11 versions 24H2, 25H2 and 26H2, in their latest status update of 28 October, list no open known issue with the Photos app.
The Windows Central report that still turns up in searches, saying Microsoft issued a temporary workaround for a Windows 11 bug that stopped Photos opening for over a month, was published on 16 July 2024. That bug looked different: according to Microsoft's release health entry at the time, Photos showed a spinning circle and then vanished, after the app updated to version 2024.11050.29009.0 or later from 4 June 2024. It hit Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2, most likely on PCs with the "Prevent non-admin users from installing packaged Windows apps" policy or its BlockNonAdminUserInstall equivalent turned on, and Microsoft said Home users were unlikely to see it.
The workaround Windows Central described, installing the latest Windows App SDK runtime as an administrator, was overtaken a day later. Microsoft marked the issue resolved on 17 July 2024 with Photos version 2024.11070.15005.0, which it said Windows devices would download automatically from the Microsoft Store. So if you're seeing "Package could not be registered" today, that 2024 fix isn't the answer.
How to fix it: Microsoft's steps, in order
Microsoft's support page for problems with Microsoft Store apps on Windows 11 suggests signing in to your Microsoft account first, then working through these in the order given:
- Close and reopen the app. Close Photos with the X in the top-right corner and open it again.
- Update Windows. Go to Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates and select Install now if an update is available.
- Update the Microsoft Store and your apps. Open Microsoft Store, select Library, then Get updates. Microsoft's 2024 advice for the earlier Photos bug used the same Get updates button to pull in the newest version of Photos.
- Repair, then reset Photos. Go to Start > Settings > Apps > Installed apps, select the More icon (three dots) next to Photos, then Advanced options. Select Repair if it's there; if it isn't, or it doesn't help, select Reset. Microsoft notes that some apps don't have Advanced options.
- Reinstall it. In Microsoft Store, select Library, find Photos and select Install.
Still broken?
Microsoft's guide for developers explains where Windows records why a package failed to register: open Event Viewer, then go to Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > AppXDeployment-Server > Microsoft-Windows-AppXDeploymentServer/Operational. Microsoft says these logs hold more detail when an error code alone doesn't explain a failure, which helps if you take the problem to Microsoft support or a forum.
When will Microsoft fix it?
There's no fix to wait for, because Microsoft hasn't confirmed a Photos fault in current versions of Windows 11. It lists acknowledged bugs, workarounds and fixes on the Windows release health pages, and if a Photos issue appears there, that's where Microsoft's workaround and fix date will be.
