8 Easy Ways to Fix Apps Freezing in Windows 10

Check out these solutions if apps are freezing on your Windows 10 PC

Reading time icon 8 min. read


Readers help support Windows Report. We may get a commission if you buy through our links. Tooltip Icon

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial team Read more

Key notes

  • Freezing can be annoying on any PC and happens pretty often in Windows 10.
  • The problems can have multiple causes, but in our guide below, you will find plenty of solutions to fix these problems.
  • Sometimes, the registry gets clogged with unwanted files.
  • If you experience any other system errors, you should run SFC Scan to fix them.

Windows 10 brought a lot of improvements compared to Windows 8. However, Windows 10 isn’t without its flaws.

According to some users, apps freeze on Windows 10, which can be a big problem.

Especially if you prefer using Universal apps, fortunately for you, a few solutions can help you fix this problem.

Freezing can be annoying on any PC, and many users reported that their apps freeze on Windows 10. Speaking of freezing, users mentioned the following problems:

  • Apps freeze Windows 10 Explorer, Edge – According to users, this problem can appear in both File Explorer and Edge. If you have this problem, be sure to try some of our solutions.
  • App freeze Windows 10 Weather – Several users reported this problem while using the Weather app. To fix the problem, you can try resetting or reinstalling the application.
  • Apps freeze Windows 10 right-click – Sometimes, this problem can appear when you right-click. A corrupted user profile can cause this, but you can create a new user profile and check if that works.
  • Apps freeze Windows 10 on startup – Users reported that this problem could occur right on startup. If that’s the case, the issue is most likely a third-party application; to identify it; you need to perform a Clean boot.
  • Apps freeze Windows 10 Cortana – In some cases, Cortana can cause this problem on your PC. However, you might be able to solve this issue by changing your settings.

Why are my Windows 10 apps not responding?

  • You are running an old version of Windows.
  • Some critical system files are missing or corrupted.
  • There are outdated system drivers.
  • There are some memory-related problems.
  • Your PC is infected with a virus or malware.
  • Corrupt temporary files are causing the problems.

How do I fix apps freezing on Windows 10?

1. Update your Windows

  1. To fix the application freezes when printing in Windows 10 error, open the Settings app.
  2. Go to the Update & security section.
    Apps freeze Windows 10 on startup
  3. In the right pane, click the Check for updates button.
    Apps freeze Windows 10 Cortana

If any updates are available, Windows will install them automatically in the background. Once the updates are installed, check if the problem persists.

2. Switch to a local account temporary

  1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
  2. Select Accounts.
    Apps freeze Windows 10 on startup
  3. Go to Your account and click Sign in with a local account instead.
    Apps freeze Windows 10 Cortana
  4. You will be asked to enter your account password, and after you’ve entered it, you’ll have to set up a username and password for your new local account.
  5. With your local account enabled, go to Other accounts you use and remove your old version if it’s there.
  6. Restart your computer.
  7. Log in to Windows, and head to Settings.
  8. Select Accounts.
  9. Click on Other accounts and check if your old account is there. If it’s there, remove it once again. The all browsers freezing in Windows 10 issue will be fixed.

After that, you can try re-downloading apps and reset the Store:

  1. Go to Store and re-download the apps that were freezing.
  2. If apps aren’t downloading, close the Store, type WSReset.exe in the Start menu, and run it as administrator.
    Apps freeze Windows 10 Explorer
  3. Restart your computer.
  4. Go to Settings.
  5. Click on Accounts, add your Microsoft account and switch to it. The apps freeze on FireStick issue will be solved.

3. Reinstall your printer driver

  1. Right-click on the Start menu icon and choose Device Manager from the results list.
    Apps freeze Windows 10 Explorer
  2. If your printer isn’t connected to your PC, go to View and check Show hidden devices. If the printer is connected, you can skip this step.
    Apps freeze Windows 10 right click
  3. Locate your printer, right-click it and choose Uninstall device from the menu.
    App freeze Windows 10 Weather
  4. Click Uninstall again to confirm.
    Apps freeze Windows 10 right click

Once the driver is removed, restart your PC. Once the PC restarts, your printer driver should be installed automatically.

You can always download the driver manually from the manufacturer’s website if the printer doesn’t install itself automatically.

3.1 Update drivers automatically

Installing the incorrect driver version might result in irreversible harm to your computer. Therefore we recommend using a professional tool, such as a Outbyte Driver Updater, that handles the task for you.

Outbyte Driver Updater is ​​a specialized tool with a regularly updated database of over 18 million driver files. Scan your PC for all outdated drivers and safely update any that are available.

Outbyte Driver Updater

You need to keep your drivers updated at all times, and Outbyte Driver Updater will also make your PC faster!
Free trial Visit Website

4. Run PowerShell command from Command Prompt

  1. Right-click on the Start menu and select Command Prompt (Admin).
    App freeze Windows 10 Weather
  2. Type the below command and press Enter:
    • Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml"} apps freeze wind 10

5. Reset the app to default

  1. Open the Settings app by pressing Win + I.
  2. Navigate to the Apps section.
    Apps freeze Windows 10 Edge
  3. Select the app that is freezing and choose Advanced options.
    App freeze Windows 10 Weather
  4. Now click the Reset button. Finally, click the Reset button once again to confirm.
    Apps freeze Windows 10 right click

After resetting the application to default, start it again and check if the problem still appears. We have to mention that this solution works only for Universal apps, so keep that in mind.

6. Check your antivirus

If apps freeze on your iPad as well as Windows 10 PC, the problem might be your antivirus. Antivirus can interfere with your system and cause this and many other errors.

To fix the problem, check your antivirus settings and ensure that the problematic application is added to the exclusion list.

After doing that, check if the problem persists. You might want to try changing your antivirus configuration if the issue is still present.

If that doesn’t help, you can temporarily disable your antivirus and check if that solves the issue.

As a last resort, you can try uninstalling your antivirus. If uninstalling the antivirus solves the problem, you should consider switching to a different antivirus solution.

Many antivirus tools are optimized not to interfere with Windows. If you’re looking for such an antivirus, we highly suggest using an optimized antivirus for low-end PCs that won’t interfere with your operating system.

7. Perform a Clean boot

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialogue.
  2. Type msconfig and click OK.
    App freeze Windows 10 Weather
  3. Go to the Services window and check Hide all Microsoft services. Click on Disable all.
    Apps freeze Windows 10 right click
  4. Go to the Startup tab and click on Open Task Manager.
    Apps freeze Windows 10 on startup
  5. A list of startup applications will appear. Please select the first item on the list, right-click it, and choose Disable from the menu. Repeat this step for all startup applications on the list.
    Apps freeze Windows 10 Cortana
  6. Go to the System Configuration window and click Apply and OK to save changes.
    Apps freeze Windows 10 Edge

Once your PC restarts, check if the problem is resolved. If the issue doesn’t appear anymore, the problem is related to one of the disabled apps or services.

To find the direct cause, you need to enable disabled applications individually or in groups.

Remember that you need to restart your PC every time after enabling a group of applications or services.

Once you find the problematic application, you can keep it disabled, remove it or update it and check if that solves the problem.

8. Uninstall the Nahimic app

Sometimes apps can freeze due to other third-party applications. For example, according to users, the Nahimic app caused other apps to freeze on their PC.

This application is related to the audio driver, and if you want to remove it, you just have to remove the audio driver and allow Windows to install the default driver instead.

Since Windows tends to automatically update your drivers, it might be a good idea to prevent Windows from updating this device. The apps freeze on Samsung Smart TV issue can also be solved this way.

There are several ways to do that, and for more information, we advise you to check our guides on how to prevent Windows from automatically installing drivers and how to prevent Windows Update install.

How do I fix apps freezing on Windows 11?

  • You can reset Microsoft Store using the wsreset command.
  • Update all the applications from the Microsoft Store.
  • Fix corrupt system files using the SFC Scan and DISM commands.
  • Run the Microsoft Store troubleshooter.
  • Perform a clean boot.
  • Use an alternate to the problematic app if the problem still exists.

What causes the PC to freeze randomly?

  • There is some software issue on your PC.
  • Your PC is infected with a virus or malware.
  • You are running an outdated version of Windows.
  • The apps aren’t up to date.
  • There is a third-party app triggering the freezing issue.
  • The graphics driver isn’t up to date.
  • Some important system files are missing or corrupt.
  • There isn’t enough free space in the folder where you have installed Windows OS.

That’s all, I hope at least some of these solutions helped you with the app problem in Windows 10. If you have any questions or comments, just reach for the comment section below.

More about the topics: System Errors

User forum

1 messages