How to Fix Google Play Store Error 940 on Android
What error 940 means
Error 940 is a Google Play Store error that shows up when an app download or update stalls out. You tap Install or Update, the progress bar starts moving — and then it freezes, or the download quietly dies and a toast pops up saying the app could not be downloaded due to an error (940). Tapping retry just restarts the same loop: the download begins, stalls, and fails again.
Under the hood, error 940 usually means Android's download pipeline got stuck rather than blocked. The Play Store hands the actual file transfer to a system component called Download Manager, and if that component's queue is corrupted — or if your phone simply ran out of breathing room in storage — the download hangs mid-way and the store gives up with error 940. Unlike a permission or account error, there is no access denied here: your phone wants to download the app, it just cannot complete the transfer.
The good news is that error 940 is a fixable, mechanical problem. No malware, no broken phone — just a stuck download process, a full disk, or stale cache data. The steps below go from the quickest wins to the deeper resets, and most people clear error 940 within fifteen minutes.
Common causes
- Full or nearly-full internal storage: downloads stall when there is no room left to write the app's files — the single most common trigger for 940.
- Stuck Download Manager: Android's system download service is frozen or holding a corrupted queue, so every download it handles freezes mid-way.
- Corrupted Play Store cache or data: stale files from a stalled session keep every retry from starting clean.
- Failed Play Store self-update: a half-installed background update to the store itself breaks its installer.
- Account or SD-card glitch: a stale Google account link — or an app trying to install onto a flaky SD card — can abort the download mid-transfer.
How to fix error 940 — step by step
Work through these fixes in order. Most people are fixed by step 4.
- Free up internal storage space. Open Settings, then Storage, and check how much free space is left. Downloads stall and die with error 940 when there is not enough room to write the app's files, so make sure you have several hundred megabytes free beyond the app's size. Delete unused apps and games, remove old downloads, clear large cached files, or move photos and videos to cloud backup or an SD card. Then retry the download.
- Restart your phone. Press and hold the Power button (or swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the power icon), then tap Restart. A reboot releases a frozen download queue and clears the stuck processes in the Play Store and the system Download Manager. Once the phone is back on, open the Play Store and try the download again before doing anything else.
- Clear the Google Play Store's cache and data. Open Settings, then go to Apps (or Apps & notifications), then See all apps. Tap Google Play Store, then Storage & cache. Tap Clear cache first, then Clear storage (or Clear data) and confirm. This wipes the store's temporary files and the broken download state from the stalled install, without touching your installed apps or your Google account. Reopen the Play Store and retry the download.
- Clear the Download Manager's cache and data. The Play Store hands actual file downloads to a system component called Download Manager, and when its queue is stuck, downloads freeze and fail with error 940. Go to Settings > Apps > See all apps, tap the three-dot menu and choose Show system, then open Download Manager. Tap Storage & cache, then Clear cache followed by Clear data (or Clear storage), and confirm. This resets the stalled download queue without affecting your apps or files. Restart the phone and try the download again.
- Uninstall updates to the Play Store app. In Settings > Apps > See all apps, open Google Play Store and tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, then Uninstall updates. This rolls the store back to the factory version that shipped with your phone, undoing a half-installed self-update that may have broken its installer. Open the Play Store — it will quietly reinstall a fresh update on its own — then wait a few minutes and retry your download.
- Remove your Google account and add it back. If storage is fine and the download still stalls, a stale account link can keep aborting the download. Go to Settings > Passwords & accounts, tap your Google account, then Remove account. Restart the phone, go back to Settings > Passwords & accounts, tap Add account > Google, and sign in again. This refreshes the account connection between your phone and the Play Store. As a bonus check, if you install apps to an SD card, try switching the install location to internal storage or reseating the card — a flaky card can stall downloads too.
Did this fix it? Quick checklist
- Apps download and install without the 940 pop-up
- Downloads progress smoothly without stalling
- Play Store updates install normally
- The fix holds after a phone restart
If error 940 still appears after all six steps, try switching networks (Settings > Network & internet) — some workplace or school Wi-Fi networks interfere with Play Store traffic — and as a final measure, back up your data and consider a factory reset (Settings > System > Reset options > Erase all data).
Frequently asked questions
What does Google Play Store error 940 mean?
Error 940 means a Google Play Store download started but could not finish — the progress bar stalls, or the install dies with the message that the app could not be downloaded due to an error (940). It usually points to too little free storage, a stuck system Download Manager, or corrupted Play Store cache rather than anything wrong with your account or the app itself.
Will clearing Play Store data delete my installed apps?
No. Clearing cache and storage for the Google Play Store or the Download Manager only removes temporary files — your installed apps, photos, and personal files stay exactly where they are. You'll just need to accept the Play Store terms again when you reopen it.
How is error 940 different from error 927 or error 504?
Error 940 is about a stalled download that starts and then freezes mid-way, most often because storage ran out or the system Download Manager got stuck. Error 927 is a timing collision with the Play Store's own background update, and error 504 is a timeout where the download could not be started at all. All three share the same core fixes — clearing the store's data and uninstalling its updates — because they all trace back to the Play Store's download pipeline.
Do I need a factory reset to fix error 940?
Almost never. Freeing up storage, clearing the Play Store and Download Manager data, or uninstalling the Play Store's updates fixes error 940 in nearly every case. A factory reset is only worth considering if every other step has failed, and you should back up all your data first.