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This tip is about the how to Fix ‘”This App Can’t Run on Your PC” Error in Windows 10. So read this free guide, How to Fix ‘”This App Can’t Run on Your PC” Error in Windows 10 step by step. If you have query related to same article you may contact us.
How to Fix ‘”This App Can’t Run on Your PC” Error in Windows 10 – Guide
There are several reasons why Windows won’t let you start a program. Fortunately, we’ve thought of everything.
There may be a few reasons why you are seeing a “this software does not work on your PC” error message in Windows 10. The application may be incompatible with your system, you may have logged into the wrong user account, or the installation may have been damaged.
There are some remedies you can happily try. So let’s start solving the “this software cannot run on your PC” problem.
How to fix it
Run the app as an administrator
Permission issues are common reasons why an app doesn’t open or doesn’t work as it should. Fixing this is easy as all you have to do is run the application with admin privileges.
To do this, you must either log in as an administrator or have the login credentials of an administrator account ready for step 2 below.
- Use File Explorer to find the application with the issues.
- Right click on the application and select Run as administrator.
- In the User Account Control window that appears, select Yes.
- The app should open.
If you no longer get the error “This application cannot run on your PC” and the application works fine, please enable it to always run in administrator mode.
- Right-click the application file and select Properties.
- Go to the Compatibility tab under Properties.
- In the Settings section, check the Run this program as administrator box.
- Select Apply followed by OK at the bottom to save your changes.
Check if the PC is 32-bit or 64-bit
Windows 10 has two versions: 32-bit and 64-bit. One possible reason an application does not open on your PC is that your PC is running 32-bit version of Windows and the application is 64-bit.
To confirm this is the case, check your PC’s specs:
- Open the Settings app by pressing the Windows + I keys at the same time.
- Select System on the Settings screen.
- Scroll down on the left sidebar and select About.
- In the right pane, under Device Specifications, see what the System Type field says.
If 32-bit operating system appears and your application is 64-bit, you will need to install the 64-bit version of Windows 10 on your computer. Your computer must support 64-bit operating systems to do this. Your PC manufacturer’s website should tell you if your system supports a 64-bit operating system.
If you are unsure whether your application is 32-bit or 64-bit, you can find this information as follows:
- Right click on your app and select Properties.
- In the Properties window, select the Compatibility tab at the top.
- Enable the Run this program in compatibility mode check box.
- Select the drop-down menu below the selection box. If this drop-down menu has Windows 95 at the top, the selected application is 32-bit. If the dropdown starts with Windows Vista, your app is 64-bit.
If you are unable to upgrade to Windows 10 64-bit, check the website for the offending app and see if they offer a 32-bit version of the app. The 32-bit version should work perfectly on your PC.
Use the compatibility troubleshooter
Windows 10 includes many troubleshooters, one of which is the compatibility troubleshooter. Use this to determine possible reasons why your app isn’t opening.
- Right-click on the offending application and select Properties.
- Go to the Compatibility tab in Properties.
- At the top of the Compatibility tab, select Run compatibility troubleshooter.
- Wait for the troubleshooter to find and fix the application issues for you.
Run the app from another account
If your PC still displays the error “This application cannot run on your PC”, you might want to switch accounts and see if that makes a difference. If there is a problem with your user account settings, this should fix it.
Make sure you have a spare account to switch to.
- Open the Start menu, click on your profile icon and select Exit.
- At the login screen, select another user account and log into it.
- In that new user account, find the offending app and open it.
If the app opens with the secondary account, there is a problem with your original account. In that case, if you’re not sure what’s causing the problem, delete your user account and recreate it.
Scan your PC for viruses and malware
A virus or malware can cause your PC to display the error “This application cannot run on your PC”, even though the application you are trying to open is perfectly fine. In that case, use the Windows built-in virus scanner to find and remove viruses and other threats.
- Open the Start menu, search for Windows Security and select it from the search results.
- On the Windows Security screen, select Virus and Threat Protection.
- Select Scan Options on the screen below.
- Choose the Full Scan option and select Scan Now at the bottom.
- Wait for your system to scan and remove various threats from your PC.
Enable developer mode
Windows 10 includes a developer mode that allows you to enable certain features on your PC. One is the ability to sideload applications onto your computer. Sideload means installing universal Windows apps from outside the Microsoft Store.
It’s worth switching to this mode to see if your issue is resolved.
- Press the Windows + I keys at the same time to open the Settings app.
- Under Settings, select Update & Security at the bottom.
- Select For Developers on the left sidebar.
- In the right pane, enable developer mode toggle.
- Try running your app and see if it opens.
Run a corrupt file check
Corrupted files are responsible for several problems on your PC, including an application that won’t start. It is difficult to manually locate and fix corrupted files, but there is a tool to help you with that. Windows 10 includes a command that allows you to detect and fix all corrupt files on your computer. Run this command from the Command Prompt utility on your PC.
Although you need to type the command and run it, the command then takes care of fixing the corrupted files for you. You don’t have to deal with corrupted files manually.
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- Go to the Start menu, search for Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
- Select Yes at the User Account Control prompt.
- In the command prompt window that opens, type the following command and press Enter: sfc /scannow
- Wait for the command to check and fix corrupt files on your PC.
Final note
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