Microsoft Office may not open when you restore Windows 11

If you’re trying to roll back Windows 11’s 2022 Update to an earlier point in time, be careful: several applications within Windows may not open as a result.

Microsoft has published KB5023152, an error message that warns that apps that use the MSIX Windows app format may suffer glitches or simply refuse to open. In plainer English, that means that apps like Office, Cortana, Notepad, Paint, and Terminal may return error messages or simply refuse to launch. But other apps may be affected, too.

The glitches aren’t consistent, either. Microsoft lists the following as possible app behaviors:

• An error message “This app can’t open” is displayed instead of the app starting.
• The app might have multiple entries on the Start menu.
• An app may not respond when you try to start the app.
• An I/O error may occur, followed by the app not responding, and then the app crashes.
• If you try to start the app again, the app now runs.

Right now, the errors only plague Windows 11 22H2, formally known as the Windows 11 2022 Update. Microsoft does not say that the company is working on a fix, however. For the moment, the company’s developers are stymied by the issue. Workarounds include trying to launch the app again, trying to reinstall the app from the Microsoft Store, and running Windows Update—all of which would be part of any basic troubleshooting.

Ironically, returning to an earlier system restore point is another typical solution to a problem with an application install, as Tom’s Hardware, which filed an earlier report on the glitch, notes. Hopefully, Microsoft figures all this out soon.