Heads Up: Windows 11 users may encounter a nasty bug when performing a System Restore.

In a support post (opens in new tab), Microsoft said that after performing a System Restore to a previous restore point on a device running Windows 11 version 22H2, some Windows 11 apps using the MSIX Windows app package may freeze, fail to launch, or crash completely, the company said. Affected apps include, but are not limited to, Terminal, Microsoft Office, Notepad, Cortana, and Paint; other apps using the MSIX format may not be affected.

It is unclear if Microsoft is preparing a patch to fix this issue. However, the company recommends several possible workarounds, including restarting the affected application, reinstalling the application from the source where it was originally installed, or simply restarting the application.

Microsoft also recommends running Windows Update. As our sibling site TechRadar (opens in new tab) points out, it is unclear why this would work, but perhaps an update will somehow fix the problem. We see no harm in checking to see if there are updates for the affected applications and hoping for the best.

Ironically, "System Restore" is designed to repair a malfunctioning PC by rolling back to a point in time when it was functioning properly, and users are encouraged to rely on it as a sort of "undo" button for the entire system. Therefore, having a major Microsoft app malfunction after a System Restore can be a frustrating problem that is bigger than the problem it was originally intended to address. For now, the best course of action seems to be to not perform a System Restore altogether.

The latest version of Windows has improved significantly since its launch in October 2021. However, while Microsoft's operating system is generally stable for most users, problems with Windows 11, such as those described above, occur regularly. Microsoft usually issues fixes quickly, so hopefully it won't be too long before this issue is addressed.