How to Fix Microsoft Store Error 0x80073D02 (App Can't Update While Open)

By ErrorFix · Updated October 21, 2026 · 7 min read

What error 0x80073D02 means

Error 0x80073D02 is a Microsoft Store deployment failure. When you click Get or Update, Windows downloads the new app package and then tries to swap it in for the old files — but Windows will not let any program overwrite files that are currently in use. If the app is still running, even as a hidden background process, the deployment stops cold and the Store shows 0x80073D02, sometimes with the message "Select Retry to close and update the app. The app can't update when it's open" or "Unable to install because the following apps need to be closed."

You will meet this error most often with Xbox Game Pass titles and games that update through the Store, because their launchers and helper services (the Xbox app, Gaming Services) like to linger after the game window closes. It also shows up when updating the Store's own bundled apps — Edge, Desktop App Installer, Microsoft To Do — and sometimes for plain Store apps when the Store's cache has gone stale. The good news: your app data, game saves, and installed programs are not damaged. The error is about file locks, not broken files, so the fixes are quick and non-destructive.

Common causes

• The app is still running: the target app, or one of its background processes, is holding its own files open, so the Store's replacement step is refused. Closing the window alone may not stop helper processes.
• Stale Microsoft Store cache: a stuck download queue or corrupted cache entries keep the Store retrying the same broken deployment instead of starting fresh.
• Corrupted Store installation data: the Store's own package registration can break after interrupted updates, so even a perfectly closed app fails to install.
• Conflicting helper services: Gaming Services and the Xbox app gate Game Pass updates; when they are stuck, every game update through the Store fails with this code.
• Third-party antivirus file locks: antivirus tools can lock the app package folders the Store is trying to write to, which looks to Windows exactly like an app that is still open.

How to fix error 0x80073D02 — step by step

Work through these fixes in order. Steps 1 and 2 resolve the great majority of 0x80073D02 cases.

1. Fully close the app and end its lingering processes. Close the app's window first. Then press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, find the app's process (and the Xbox app, for Game Pass games) on the Processes tab, select each one, and click End task. Some apps keep helper services running after their window closes, so this step guarantees nothing is holding the app's files open.
2. Retry the install, then clear the Store cache with wsreset. Go back to the Microsoft Store and click Retry or Get again — closing the app alone often fixes it right here. If the error returns, press Win + R, type wsreset.exe, and press Enter. A blank Command Prompt window opens for a few seconds and the Store reopens by itself. The cache is now clear, and any stuck update state the Store was hanging onto is gone.
3. Run the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter. Open Settings, go to System, then Troubleshoot, then Other troubleshooters. Find Windows Store Apps in the list and click Run. It scans for corrupted cache files, broken permissions, and hung Store services, and repairs what it finds automatically. Restart your PC afterward, then try the install again.
4. Repair or reset the Microsoft Store app. Open Settings, go to Apps, then Installed apps, find Microsoft Store, click the three dots, and choose Advanced options. Click Repair first — this fixes the Store's files without touching your installed apps. If 0x80073D02 survives the repair, go back to the same page and click Reset, which rebuilds the Store's own data while leaving your downloaded apps and games installed.
5. Re-register the Microsoft Store with PowerShell. Right-click Start and choose Terminal (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin). Paste this command and press Enter: Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers *Microsoft.WindowsStore* | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register '$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml'}. This rewrites the Store's package registration with Windows, fixing broken deployment records that Repair and Reset cannot reach. Restart the PC when it completes.
6. For Game Pass games: close the Xbox app and reinstall Gaming Services. If 0x80073D02 keeps hitting game updates or Gaming Services updates, fully close the Xbox app including its Task Manager background process. Then, in an admin PowerShell window, run Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.GamingServices* | Remove-AppxPackage, restart your PC, and reinstall Gaming Services from the Microsoft Store. Game updates then flow through the rebuilt service without the error.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• The Microsoft Store installs or updates the app without the 0x80073D02 message
• Task Manager shows no leftover process for the app while it updates
• The Store's Downloads page reports the update as complete
• A second app or game installs normally, confirming the Store is healthy

If the error keeps returning for one specific game even after Gaming Services was reinstalled, check where the game's files live: third-party antivirus real-time protection is a common last-mile blocker, so temporarily disable it and retry the update. If it works with protection off, add the Microsoft Store and the game's install folder to the antivirus exceptions list rather than leaving protection disabled. Also confirm you are signed into the Store with the same Microsoft account that owns the app or Game Pass subscription — an account mismatch can produce the same refusal on some titles.