Microsoft Provides Workaround for Microsoft Photos App Issue on Windows 11
Microsoft has offered a temporary solution for a known problem that is preventing the Microsoft Photos app from launching on certain Windows 11 systems. The issue affects devices running Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2, where specific policies are enabled.
According to Microsoft, systems running Windows Home editions are less likely to encounter this problem since these policies are typically not enabled by home users.
Users who updated the Microsoft Photos app from the Windows store on or after June 4, 2024, may face difficulties starting the application. The app may show a spinning circle upon launch and then disappear, with an Access Denied error possibly appearing if the Procmon monitoring tool is installed.
While Microsoft works on a permanent fix, Windows admins are advised to implement a temporary solution by installing the latest Windows App SDK released during the July Patch Tuesday.
To install the Windows App SDK, follow these steps:
- Download the Windows App SDK by selecting the appropriate “Installer” link for your system.
- Right-click the windowsappruntimeinstall-x64.exe file and choose “Run as administrator” to initiate the installation process.
- IT admins can run the installer in their environment using system or admin context, adding the “-quiet” parameter to prevent user interaction with the prompt.
Microsoft is actively working on a fix for this issue and will provide further updates in the near future.
Last week, the company resolved two additional Windows 11 issues related to update problems and taskbar issues. Today, Microsoft confirmed that June Windows Server updates are causing disruptions to the Microsoft 365 Defender network data reporting service on Windows Server 2022 systems.
Admins can check the service health page in the Microsoft 365 admin center for alerts to determine if their Windows network systems are affected by this known issue.
