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Error 0x80070005 usually means that Windows, Microsoft Store, Xbox, or Gaming Services was denied access to something it needs. It commonly appears when the Xbox app cannot install or update a Game Pass game, although it can also occur while the Store or Xbox app is opening. Work through the fixes in order: confirm the correct account, restart after updates, update Store components, repair and then reset the affected apps, clear the Store cache with wsreset.exe, check Gaming Services, and reinstall the affected app only if the earlier steps fail.
What error 0x80070005 means in the Xbox app
The hexadecimal code 0x80070005 is an access or permissions failure. In the Xbox-on-Windows setup, the request can pass through several components rather than the Xbox app alone: your Microsoft account, Microsoft Store, the Xbox app, Gaming Services, and Windows’ app-installation system. A failure in any of those hand-offs can produce the same code.
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The stage at which the message appears is useful evidence:
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- Xbox app launch: the app itself may have damaged local data or a component that needs repair.
- Store download: Microsoft Store cache, pending updates, or a required restart can block the transaction.
- Game installation or update: Gaming Services is a required dependency for installing and starting Xbox Game Pass games, so it becomes a primary suspect.
The code does not identify one universal cause, and there is no single command that safely fixes every instance. The sequence below starts with low-disruption checks and moves toward actions that remove app data or reinstall software.
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Before changing anything: identify the affected account and stage
Use the Microsoft account that owns the entitlement
Open both Microsoft Store and the Xbox app and sign in with the same Microsoft account. For a Game Pass title, that account must be the one that owns the game or has the subscription. If Store is signed in to one account while Xbox uses another, the apps can disagree about licensing or installation rights and return an access error.
Note exactly what fails
Record whether the code appears when Xbox starts, when a game begins downloading, during an update, or when Gaming Services is mentioned. This prevents you from resetting unrelated apps and helps you choose the later branch that matches the failure.
Close the apps before troubleshooting
Exit the Xbox app and Microsoft Store. If a download is still shown as active, pause it first. The following repair and reset controls work most reliably when the affected app is not running.
1. Restart Windows and install pending updates
A restart is a required part of the Store-app troubleshooting path when Windows has just updated. Some app and Gaming Services files remain locked until the operating system completes the update and starts again.
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- Save work and restart Windows from Start > Power > Restart.
- After signing back in, open Settings > Windows Update.
- Select Check for updates and install everything Windows offers.
- Restart again if Windows requests it. Do not retry the game installation while an update is waiting for a reboot.
- Open Microsoft Store and Xbox, sign in, and test the same install or update that produced the code.
This step is intentionally first because it changes no app data and can complete a partially installed Store or system component. If Windows Update reports that the system is current and the error remains, continue rather than repeatedly restarting.
2. Update Microsoft Store, Xbox, and Gaming Services
Microsoft Store distributes updates for the Xbox app, Gaming Services, and other Store components. Updating the related packages before repairing them ensures that the repair operation is applied to the current version.
- Open Microsoft Store.
- Select Library.
- Choose Get updates.
- Allow Store to update Xbox, Gaming Services, and any other available component.
- When the list finishes, close Store, reopen it, then reopen Xbox and retry.
If the Get updates control is unavailable, wait for Store to finish any existing download, then open Library again. A title that is already current may not show a separate update entry; the important check is that no pending Store component remains.
3. Repair the affected apps, then reset them if necessary
Windows provides a supported Repair-then-Reset sequence for apps that do not work correctly. Repair is the lower-impact attempt. If it does not clear the error, Reset recreates the app’s local state and can remove its data and settings, so use it only after Repair.
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Windows 11 path
- Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
- Find Xbox, select its three-dot menu, and choose Advanced options.
- Under Reset, select Repair. Wait for Windows to finish, then open Xbox and test.
- If the same error remains, return to the page and select Reset, then confirm the prompt.
- Repeat the same Repair-then-Reset sequence for Microsoft Store.
- If Gaming Services appears in Installed apps, apply the sequence to it as well when the failure concerns game installation or updating.
Windows 10 path
- Open Settings > Apps > Apps & features.
- Select Xbox, then choose Advanced options.
- Select Repair, test the app, and use Reset only if Repair did not work.
- Repeat for Microsoft Store and, when listed, Gaming Services.
Windows 10 and Windows 11 can label the menus slightly differently, but the sequence is the same: open the installed-app entry, choose Advanced options, try Repair, and only then choose Reset. Reset may sign you out, remove local preferences, or require the app to rebuild its local data. It does not change ownership of a game or cancel a subscription.
4. Clear the Microsoft Store cache with wsreset.exe
A damaged or stale Store cache can interfere with downloads even when the Store itself opens. The supported cache reset is the wsreset.exe utility; it does not require deleting folders manually.
- Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
- Type
wsreset.exe. - Select OK.
- A blank Command Prompt window opens. Leave it alone; Microsoft says it closes after about ten seconds.
- Microsoft Store opens automatically when the reset completes.
- Sign in if prompted, open Xbox, and retry the affected installation or update.
Do not close the blank window simply because it appears inactive. If it remains open substantially longer than expected, wait for it to finish before launching another Store operation; starting overlapping Store processes can make diagnosis harder.
5. Check Gaming Services for game-installation and update failures
Gaming Services is an additional Windows component required to install or start Xbox Game Pass games. If the Xbox app launches normally but a game fails at install, download, verification, or update time, this dependency deserves attention after the Store cache reset.
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Use the supported app controls first
- Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11, or Settings > Apps > Apps & features in Windows 10.
- Locate Gaming Services, if it is listed.
- Open Advanced options and select Repair.
- Retry the game installation or update.
- If the error persists, return to the same page and select Reset, then retry.
Keep the Xbox and Store updates from Step 2 in place while doing this. Gaming Services works as part of that Store-delivered installation path, so an outdated or damaged package can remain a problem if only the Xbox app is repaired.
Do not edit WindowsApps ownership as a first-line fix
Some online guides suggest taking ownership of protected Windows app folders or changing their permissions. Those edits are not part of the supported sequence established here and can create additional access problems for Store apps. Use the Store update, Repair, Reset, cache-reset, and reinstall paths before considering any unsupported system-folder change.
6. Reinstall the Xbox app or affected Store app
Reinstalling is the final supported app step when updates, Repair, Reset, the Store cache reset, and Gaming Services checks have not resolved the code. Reinstall the component that is failing rather than removing unrelated games or Windows features.
- Open Microsoft Store.
- Select Library and locate Xbox or the affected Store app.
- Use the app’s install or reinstall control and allow the download to complete.
- Launch the newly installed app, sign in with the account that owns the game or subscription, and retry the original operation.
A reinstall can remove the app’s local data and settings, so expect to sign in again and reconfigure preferences. It does not by itself remove your Microsoft account entitlement. If the failing item is Gaming Services rather than Xbox, use its available Store or Installed apps controls instead of deleting protected folders manually.
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Choose the next fix by symptom
| Where 0x80070005 appears | Start with | Next supported action | Disruption and data impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox will not open or closes immediately | Restart Windows, install Windows and Store updates | Repair Xbox, then Reset Xbox; reinstall Xbox if needed | Restart and Repair are low impact. Reset or reinstall can remove local app data and settings. |
| Microsoft Store download fails | Update Store from Library > Get updates | Run wsreset.exe, then Repair or Reset Microsoft Store |
Cache reset targets Store cache. Reset can clear Store app data. |
| Game Pass game will not install | Confirm the owning account and restart after updates | Repair or Reset Gaming Services, then Xbox; reinstall the affected app if required | Gaming Services is the relevant dependency. Reset may rebuild its local state. |
| Existing game update fails | Update Store components and clear the Store cache | Repair or Reset Gaming Services, then retry | These steps target the installation path without changing account ownership. |
Understand the disruption before you reset or reinstall
- Restart and updates: lowest risk; they change the operating system or package version but do not intentionally erase app settings.
- Store cache reset: limited to the Store cache. The blank Command Prompt window and automatic Store launch are normal.
- Repair: the first app-level action because it attempts to correct the installation without the broader data removal associated with Reset.
- Reset: a stronger app-level action that can clear local data, preferences, or sign-in state. Be ready to sign in again.
- Reinstall: the most disruptive supported app step in this sequence. It replaces the app package and may remove local settings, but it is appropriate when the installed package cannot be repaired.
None of these steps changes which Microsoft account owns a game or subscription. If the wrong account is signed in, however, a technically successful repair will not grant access to an entitlement held by another account.
If the error still appears after the complete sequence
Verify that every component was tested after its change
Retry the same operation after each major step rather than changing several variables and testing only once. For example, test after Store updates, again after Xbox Repair, and again after Gaming Services Reset. This identifies the component that changed the result and avoids unnecessary reinstalls.
Match the failing component to the reset you performed
Resetting Xbox does not repair a Store cache, and resetting Store does not automatically repair Gaming Services. Return to the symptom table and confirm that the component associated with the failure was updated, repaired, or reset. A game-installation failure with a healthy Xbox launch still points toward the Store/Gaming Services path.
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Open Settings > Windows Update again. If Windows is waiting for a restart, complete it before trying another Store installation. A recently installed update can leave app installation unavailable until that reboot occurs.
Stop before unsupported permission changes
If the supported sequence does not work, do not compensate by changing ownership or permissions on WindowsApps folders. Those protected locations are shared by Store applications; an improvised permission change can turn one access error into several. Keep the account, update, Repair, Reset, cache, Gaming Services, and reinstall results available when seeking further Microsoft support.
Quick Recap
Quick checklist
- Sign in to Microsoft Store and Xbox with the account that owns the game or subscription.
- Close both apps and restart Windows.
- Install all available updates from Settings > Windows Update.
- In Microsoft Store, open Library > Get updates.
- Repair Xbox, Microsoft Store, and (when relevant) Gaming Services from their Advanced options.
- Reset only the affected app when Repair does not work.
- Run
wsreset.exefrom the Windows+R Run dialog and wait for Store to reopen. - For game-installation or update failures, check Gaming Services specifically.
- Reinstall Xbox or the affected Store app from Microsoft Store > Library if the supported sequence fails.
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