The “This app can’t run on your PC” error is one of the most common errors faced by Windows 10 users. This error can be of different types and also can affect a wide range of different applications i.e. from Windows default applications to third-party application software made for the Windows Operating System.
Here in this article, we have described the most effective solutions to fix the “This app can’t run on your PC” error message in your system. To solve this error, follow the steps mentioned below effectively.
Solution 1: Run an SFC scan
SFC scan is just like any other system scan designed to look out for any corrupted or damaged file in your system. When you run an SFC scan, it tries to find corrupted and damaged system files present in your system, and if it finds any, the utility will repair them or replace them with the cached duplicate present in your system. It is one of the most effective ways to fix this “This app can’t run on your PC” error in your system. Follow these steps to run an SFC scan in your Windows 10 system.
Step 1: Firstly, search for the Command Prompt feature in your system with the help of the Search bar.
Step 2: Now, from the results, look out for Command Prompt and right-click on it, and select Run as Administrator from the right-click menu.
Step 3: Type sfc /scannow on the command prompt window and then press the Enter key.
Step 4: After the repair process is completed, restart your system, and see if the error is resolved or not.
If the error message is still showing, switch to the next solution provided.
Solution 2: Make sure you have the right version of the program you’re trying to run
Generally, for every variant of Windows 10, there are two different versions that are 32-bit version and the 64-bit version. Due to this reason, all third-party applications that are designed for Windows 10 are capable of utilizing every feature that the 64-bit version of Windows 10 has to offer, and also it has both a 32-bit version and a 64-bit version. If, while running a third-party application, you’re seeing the “This app can’t run on your PC” error message, one of the thing you should do first is, make sure that the version of the application that you are using must be right for the version of Windows 10 present in your system.
For example, if you have a 64-bit version of Windows in your system, then you must use the 64-bit version of the application with it and if you are using a 32-bit version of Windows, you’re going to need the application’s 32-bit version. You can check the variant of Windows that is currently installed in your system by following the below-mentioned steps.
Step 1: Search for the ‘System Information’ in your system with the help of the Search bar and hit enter on the first result.
Step 2: Once the System Information opens, select System Summary from the left navigation menu and look out for the System Type option on the right side of the window.
Step 3: Now, check whether the application you are trying to run in your system is compatible or not.
Most of the time running the application in compatibility mode solves the problem. Ensure that you are running the application through an administrator account. To launch the application in compatibility mode, follow these steps.
Step 1: Firstly, right-click on the application and click on the Properties option from the expanded menu.
Step 2: Once the properties window opens, click on the Compatibility tab.
Step 3: After opening the Compatibility tab, check the ‘Run this program as an administrator’ and ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for:’ option checkboxes under Settings and Compatibility Mode respectively.
Step 4: Now, select the version of Windows suitable for your system Windows version.
Step 5: Click on the Apply button to save the changes and then exit.
Step 6: Restart your system and check if the error is resolved or not.
This method helps with many of the problems. But if not, switch to the next solution.
Solution 3: Update the Windows Store
If the previous solution didn’t work for you, this solution might help you with this error. In this solution, we are going to update the Windows Store. To update the Windows Store, follow the steps mentioned below.
Step 1: Open the Windows Store.
Step 2: Click on the Options icon which is represented by three dots situated at the top right corner of the tab.
Step 3: Now, select the Downloads and updates option from the menu that appeared.
Step 4: Click on the Get updates button at the top right corner of the window.
Step 5: Wait a while so that the Windows Store will check for and also download any available updates, then install any update that is downloaded.
Step 6: After the download is completed, exit the Windows Store and check whether the problem persists.
Solution 4: Enable app side-loading
Another effective solution to the “This app can’t run on your PC” error is enabling side-loading on the application; this feature gets enabled when Developer mode for application is enabled by the Windows 10 user. Follow the below-mentioned to enable the application side-loading.
Step 1: At first, click on the Start button at the bottom left corner of the taskbar.
Step 2: Select the Windows Setting icon from the extreme left menu.
Step 3: Now, select the Update and Security button.
Step 4: Click on For developers option from the left side of the window.
Step 5: Under the Use developer features section, click on the Developer mode option radio button to enable it.
Once you enabled the Developer mode in your system, app side-loading will eventually get enabled too. After that, reboot your system and check whether the “This app can’t run on your PC” error message is fixed or not when it opens up.
Solution 5: Disable SmartScreen
SmartScreen is a Windows 10 feature that is designed to protect your Windows 10 system from various types of invasions. Though in some cases, it does the opposite of it that is harm your system. If SmartScreen is the reason behind the “This app can’t run on your PC” error message to appear, then disabling the feature will resolve this problem. To disable the SmartScreen in your system, follow these steps.
Step 1: Firstly, search for the Control Panel feature in your system with the help of the Windows search bar and select it from the results to open.
Step 2: Once the Control Panel window opens, select the System and Security icon and then the Security and Maintenance option from its window.
Step 3: Now from the left side menu of the window, select the Change Windows SmartScreen settings option.
Step 4: Next, click on the Do not do anything (turn off Windows SmartScreen) radio button from the window.
Step 5: Click on OK to save the changes made and then reboot your system.
After the system boots up, check if the problem is resolved or not. If not, go ahead and try the last solution.
Solution 6: Switch to a different user account on your computer
If all the above-mentioned methods didn’t help you with this issue, then the problem might be because of the user account on your system. In this case, switching to a new user account will help you. Follow the steps mentioned below to create a new Administrator account on your system.
Step 1: At first, click on the Start button at the bottom left corner of the taskbar.
Step 2: Select the Windows Setting icon from the extreme left menu.
Step 3: Now, select the Accounts icon.
Step 4: Click on the Family & other users option from the left side of the window.
Step 5: Under the Other user’s section, click on the button next to the Add someone else to this PC option.
Step 6: Next, click on I don’t have this person’s sign-in information.
Step 7: Select Add a user without a Microsoft account option and type new user account credentials.
Step 8: The account you have added should appear in the Other user’s section.
Step 9: Now, select the new account and then click on the Change account type.
Step 10: After that, click on Account type to open the dropdown menu and select the Administrator from it.
Step 11: Finally, click on OK and reboot your system.
When the system boots up, the newly created Administrator user account will open. Check if the error is resolved in the new user account. If there is no issue with the new user account, then move all your personal data and files from your old user account to the new user account. After that, delete the old user account from your system.
We hope that the above-listed solutions help you with this “This app can’t run on your PC” error. Also, make sure that you transfer your important files from the old user account before deleting them from your system. For further doubts and queries, comment below in the comment section.