Windows handles the EXE file type association by default so that you can run, open, and use your favorite application. However, under certain circumstances, the exe file association might be lost or damaged. In that case, you will see the Search for app in the store when you try to run or open an exe file. To fix the problem, you have to restore the exe file association. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to do. In this article, we’ll show you two ways to fix the ‘Search for app in the store’ or ‘You’ll need a new app to open this .exe file’ error when trying to run exe files. Let’s get started.
Enable Exe File Association to Fix ‘Search for app in the store’ error
Open the Start menu by clicking on the Windows logo on the taskbar.
Search for cmd, right-click on Command Prompt, and select Run as Administrator.
In the Command Prompt window, enter assoc .exe=exefile and press Enter on your keyboard.
The above command restores the exe file association on Windows. Close the Command Prompt window and restart your computer. After restarting, the error is fixed and you can open and run exe files normally.
Alternative PowerShell Command to Solve ‘Search for app in the store’ Error
Alternatively, you can also re-register apps using a PowerShell command to fix the ‘Search for app in the store’ error. Here’s how:
Right-click on the Start icon and select the Terminal (Admin) option.
In the terminal window, run the below command in the PowerShell tab.
Note: If you can’t see the PowerShell tab, click the dropdown icon on the title bar and select Windows PowerShell.
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}
After that, close the Terminal window and restart your computer. Once the system has been restarted, the error is fixed and you can open the exe files normally.
And there you have it! By following the steps in one of the two methods, you can easily fix the exe file association problem and the ‘Search for app in the store’ error. If you have any questions, comment below and we’ll help.
