If you notice that the built-in Calculator app in Windows 11 or Windows 10 has suddenly gone missing or stops working, especially after a recent Windows update, it might seem like a complicated and confusing issue but it’s easy to bring it back and fix any issues it has.
In this guide, we will show you some workarounds and solutions you can try to restore the Calculator app and fix any problems with it on Windows 11 or 10.
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How to fix Calculator app missing or not working
The Microsoft Calculator app comes pre-installed with your Windows 10 or 11 installation. You can open it by simply searching for it in the Start menu. You can also pin it to your taskbar or create a shortcut on your desktop so that you can quickly open it.
If the app suddenly disappears from all these places and you can’t even find it with Cortana, it could mean that it was accidentally uninstalled or it has become corrupted perhaps due to recent changes in your Windows system. Below are some methods to bring back the Calculator app and to fix any issues it might have.
Reset Calculator app in Windows 11 or 10
The first thing to try is to reset the Calculator app in Windows 10 or 11 entirely. By resetting the app, all of its settings will be reverted to its factory default, which may solve your Calculator app not working issue. Here’s how to reset it:
- Press Win+i to open the Settings app.
- Select Apps.
- From the left pane, select Apps & features.
- Now, on the right pane, scroll down and look for Calculator from the list of apps.
- Select it, then click on Advanced options.
- In the Calculator settings window, under Reset, click on the Reset button.
- Restart your PC.
After rebooting your computer, retry launching the Calculator app in Windows 10 or 11 again and see if your problem is fixed.
Reinstall Calculator app in Windows
If you can’t see the Calculator app from the list of apps or the above method doesn’t work to solve your Windows 10 or 11 Calculator app not working or missing issue, try reinstalling the Calculator app using Windows PowerShell. Here’s how to do it:
- Go to the Start menu or Cortana and search for Windows PowerShell. Right-click it and select Run as administrator.
- In PowerShell, type the following command:
Get-AppxPackage -Name Microsoft.WindowsCalculator
This command is to show the Windows 10 or 11 Calculator app package info. We need the package full name in order to remove the Calculator app. From what you see in PowerShell, copy the entire line of PackageFullName.
- Next, type the following command with your version of PackageFullName. Do not copy the following command. Only use the Remove-AppxPackage command with the package full name you copied earlier:
Remove-AppxPackage Microsoft.WindowsCalculator_10.1806.1821.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
After executing the command, the Windows 10 or 11 Calculator app should be uninstalled and removed from your PC entirely. Now, you will have to install it again from the Microsoft Store.
- Go to the Start menu. Search for Microsoft Store and open it.
- In the store, search for Windows Calculator. Select it and then click on the Get button to install the Windows 10 or 11 Calculator app. Alternatively, you can also try other Calculator apps developed by third parties by searching for “calculator” in the Microsoft Store.
This method should solve any issue with the Windows 10 or 11 Calculator app not working or missing problem.
Linked issue: Get-AppxPackage is Not Recognized or Access is Denied
Reinstall all Windows default apps
We do not recommend this method as it will also wipe all other default apps in Windows 10 or 11 and reinstall them. If you can’t get the PackageFullName to remove only the Calculator app as guided above, or the command above just doesn’t work, here’s a universal command to reinstall all default apps in Windows 10 or 11 at once.
Open Windows PowerShell with admin privileges as outlined above, and then enter the following command:
Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
The above command will reinstall all default apps, including the Calculator app, in Windows 10 or 11 for the current user account. If you want to reinstall all Windows apps for all accounts on your PC, run the following command instead:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
This method is known to be the most widely-used “fix all” option when users have issues with their Windows 10 or 11 default apps, such as the Calculator app not working or missing problem.
