Archive Apps is a useful but relatively new feature in Windows 11. Here is how to enable or disable the Archive Apps feature in Windows 11.
In recent versions of Windows 11, Microsoft added a new excellent feature called Archive Apps. The premise of the new feature is simple. If your system has a few apps that you don’t use regularly, Windows 11 will archive those apps to save disk space, valuable system resources like CPU time, and internet bandwidth.
When I say archive the app, Microsoft is uninstalling the app without deleting the app data. When you try to open the app again in the future, Windows 11 will automatically download and install the app from the Store. Since the app data stays intact, you can resume the app where you left off. You don’t have to worry about using app configuration data, saved files specific to the archive app, etc.
To put it simply, the Archive Apps feature is pretty useful no matter who you are. If you install many apps from Microsoft Store, the Archive Apps is a welcome feature. The only downside of this feature is that it will only work with apps downloaded from Microsoft Store.
So, without delay, let me show you how to enable or disable the Archive Apps feature in Windows 11 via the Settings app.
Table of contents:
Enable Archive Apps in Windows 11
The new Archive Apps feature is turned on by default in Windows 11. However, if it is disabled for whatever reason, you can turn on or enable the Archive Apps feature via the Windows 11 Settings app. All you need to do is toggle an option, and you are good to go. Let me show you how to do it.
- Use the “Start key + I” keyboard shortcut.
- Choose “Apps” on the Settings sidebar.
- Select the “App & features” option on the main page.
- Expand the “More settings” option.
- Click on the “Archive” option.
- Turn on the “Achieve Apps” option.
- Close the Settings app.
- With that, the Archive Apps feature is turned on.
Detailed steps with screenshots:
As usual, launch the Windows 11 Settings app. You can either use the “Start + I” key binding or open the Start menu, search for and open the Settings app. After opening the Settings app, select the “Apps” option on the sidebar. After that, choose the “Apps & features” option on the main page.
Expand the “More settings” option on this page and click on the “Archive Apps” option.
The above action will open the Archive Apps settings page. Here, turn on or enable the “Archive Apps” option.
If you are wondering, the Archive Apps feature is entirely managed by Windows 11. So, there are no additional settings for now. For example, you cannot configure after how many days Windows 11 can archive an app, cannot exclude certain apps, etc. Hopefully, Microsoft will add some necessary options as time goes.
With that, you have successfully enabled the Archive Apps feature in Windows 11.
Disable Archive Apps in Windows 11
As helpful as the Archive Apps feature is, it is limited. For instance, only Microsoft Store apps are supported currently, you need active and fast internet to access the app, there is no way to control which apps are archived, etc.
If you don’t want to use or don’t like the Archive Apps feature, you can disable it from the Settings app.
Here are the steps to turn off or disable the Archive Apps feature in Windows 11.
- Use the “Start key + I” keyboard shortcut.
- Choose “Apps” on the Settings sidebar.
- Select the “App & features” option on the main page.
- Expand the “More settings” option.
- Click on the “Archive” option.
- Turn off the “Achieve Apps” option.
- Close the Settings app.
- With that, the Archive Apps feature is turned off.
That is it. It is simple to turn on or turn off Archive App in Windows 11.
I hope this simple and straightforward Windows 11 how-to guide helped you.
If you are stuck or need some help, comment below, and I will try to help as much as possible.
