Auto update not working

[kelvisqlview]

Microsoft PowerToys version

0.96.0

Installation method

Microsoft Store, PowerToys auto-update

Area(s) with issue?

General

Steps to reproduce

Just click Download and install, then wait for few days, lmao

✔️ Expected Behavior

Click Download and install, PowerToy auto restart, successfully updated to latest version

❌ Actual Behavior

Click Download and install, PowerToy auto quit but did not restart, manually launch again, show error under Version & updates

Additional Information

OS Version: Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 .NET Version: .NET 9.0.11 PowerToys is running as admin (elevated) Install scope: per machine (system) Operating System Language: English (Singapore) System locale: en-SG

Other Software

No response

[ThanhNguyxn]

Thanks for reporting! This appears to be a known issue related to the installation method and update mechanism conflict.

Analysis

You mentioned installing via Microsoft Store but also using PowerToys auto-update. These are two separate update mechanisms:

1. Microsoft Store version - Updates are managed by the Windows Store
2. PowerToys built-in auto-updater - Updates are downloaded from GitHub releases

When both are present, they can conflict with each other, causing the behavior you're experiencing.

Recommended Workaround

Since you installed from the Microsoft Store, please try:

1. Use Store updates instead: Open Microsoft Store → Library → Check for updates
2. Or reinstall from GitHub: If you prefer the auto-updater:
   • Uninstall PowerToys completely
   • Download the latest installer from GitHub Releases
   • Install using the .exe or .msix installer

Additional Notes

• Running PowerToys as admin with per-machine (system) install can sometimes cause permission issues during the update restart process
• Windows Insider builds (26200.0) may have additional compatibility considerations

Let us know if the workaround helps!

[vanzue]

/bugreport

[kelvisqlview]

here you go

PowerToysReport_2025-12-04-14-41-38.zip

[kelvisqlview]

Thanks for reporting! This appears to be a known issue related to the installation method and update mechanism conflict.

Analysis

You mentioned installing via Microsoft Store but also using PowerToys auto-update. These are two separate update mechanisms:

1. Microsoft Store version - Updates are managed by the Windows Store
2. PowerToys built-in auto-updater - Updates are downloaded from GitHub releases

When both are present, they can conflict with each other, causing the behavior you're experiencing.

Recommended Workaround

Since you installed from the Microsoft Store, please try:

1. Use Store updates instead: Open Microsoft Store → Library → Check for updates

2. Or reinstall from GitHub: If you prefer the auto-updater:

   • Uninstall PowerToys completely
   • Download the latest installer from GitHub Releases
   • Install using the .exe or .msix installer

Additional Notes

• Running PowerToys as admin with per-machine (system) install can sometimes cause permission issues during the update restart process
• Windows Insider builds (26200.0) may have additional compatibility considerations

Let us know if the workaround helps!

Noted, i will try reinstall from GitHub releases. Thanks

[MichaMican]

same issue here - the update caused two versions to be installed in parallel and i can't uninstall any one of them anymore

[ThanhNguyxn]

I can confirm this appears to be a bug in the auto-update mechanism.

Analysis:

• Multiple users are experiencing the same issue where auto-update creates parallel installations (both v0.96.0 and v0.96.1)
• The parallel versions cannot be uninstalled through normal means
• This seems to occur when updating from per-machine (system) installations

Likely cause: The updater may be installing a per-user version alongside the existing per-machine installation, or there's an issue with the cleanup of the previous version during the update process.

I'll investigate the installer/updater code to identify the root cause.

[MichaMican]

@ThanhNguyxn in my case it happend the other way arround. i had an existing per user installation - but during update a per-machine variant was installed

[lei9444]

Hi @MichaMican could you try this one: https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/issues/43774#issuecomment-3627007765 to see if you can uninstall them?

[lei9444]

Hi @kelvisqlview, did you solve your issue? I think the previous version wasn’t fully cleaned up. The installer may have encountered issues during uninstall, leaving some registry entries behind. If you installed the per-user version, the auto-update might still fail.

[kelvisqlview]

Hi @kelvisqlview, did you solve your issue? I think the previous version wasn’t fully cleaned up. The installer may have encountered issues during uninstall, leaving some registry entries behind. If you installed the per-user version, the auto-update might still fail.

Hi @lei9444, I performed a clean re-install successfully, currently my version is v0.96.1. I install with GitHub release this round as suggested in the comment above. Cannot verify Auto Update until the next version release. Monitoring for now.