Fix Windows 8/10 “We weren’t able to connect to the Store” Error

Hopefully one of these 5 methods will work

I have loaded Windows 8/10 on a couple of home PCs and I’ve been running into occasional issues here and there. Recently, I tried to open the Windows Store and I got the following error message:

Here is what the message looks like in Windows 10:

After fiddling with a few settings, I was able to get the Store working again. In this article, I’ll show you the various solutions I tried and hopefully one of them works for you.

Method 1 – Check Date & Time

The first thing you need to do is make sure the date and time on your Windows 8/10 PC is set correctly. You will not be able to connect to the store if your system time is not accurate. You can fix the time by clicking on Start and typing inDate and Time.

In Windows 10, you’ll be brought to the new Settings app where you can adjust the time manually or set it to automatic.

In Windows 8, it brings you to the Control Panel dialog. Here you can clickChange date and timeto set the system to the correct time. Also, make sure you’re set to the correct Time Zone also.

Or you can click onInternet Time, click onChange settingsand then click onUpdate now. This will automatically sync your computer with time.windows.com.

Now try to open the Windows Store app and see if you are able to connect. Hopefully so!

Method 2 – Proxy Server

The other thing you want to check is if your system is going through some proxy server. If it is, you can try to disable the proxy server and see if that lets you connect to the store. You can do this by clicking on the gear icon at the top right in IE, then clicking onInternet Options.

You can also click on Start and type inInternet Options. Then click on theConnectionstab and click on theLAN Settingsbutton.

Go ahead and uncheck theUse a proxy server for your LANbox.

Now try to connect to the Windows Store and see if it works. If not, keep reading.

Method 3 – Log Off/Use Local Account

The next thing you can try is logging off your account and then log back in, especially if you are using a Microsoft account. Also, go tohttps://login.live.com/and make sure you can login with your Microsoft credentials. If you are locked out for any reason like your password being hacked, etc, then you will have to restore access to your Microsoft account and then login again in Windows 10.

The other thing you can try is to switch from a Microsoft account to a local account and then try to open the Windows Store. You can do this by opening the Settings app, clicking onAccountsand then clicking onYour Info.

Method 4 – Troubleshoot Windows Store Apps

One more thing you can try before the nuclear option below is using the built-in troubleshooter in Windows 8/10. Click on Start, type introubleshootand press Enter. Scroll all the way to the bottom and selectWindows Store Apps.

It’s probably not going to work, but it’s worth a shot.

Method 5 – Reset Your PC

The last thing you can do is reset your PC. This is not ideal as it will reset all of your apps from the Windows Store and remove any third-party programs you installed from a CD/DVD or the Internet. However, if nothing else is working, then this might be your only option.

You can go to the Settings app again, click onUpdate & Security, click onRecoveryand then click onGet StartedunderReset this PC. In Windows 8, the option is calledRefresh Your PC. You can just search for it using the search charm.

Hopefully one of these methods fixed the cannot connect to Windows Store problem on your Windows 8/10 machine. If not, post a comment here and I’ll try to help. Enjoy!

Founder of Help Desk Geek and managing editor. He began blogging in 2007 and quit his job in 2010 to blog full-time. He has over 15 years of industry experience in IT and holds several technical certifications.Read Aseem’s Full Bio

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Fix Windows 8/10 “We weren’t able to connect to the Store” Error#

Method 1 – Check Date & Time#

Method 2 – Proxy Server#

Method 3 – Log Off/Use Local Account#

Method 4 – Troubleshoot Windows Store Apps#

Method 5 – Reset Your PC#