How to Turn On or Off Archive Apps in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to turn archive apps on or off. You can do this for your account, a specific person’s account, or everyone on your computer in Windows 11.

What are Archive Apps?

Archive apps help save space on your computer and Internet data. Windows automatically archives Microsoft Store apps that you don’t use very often. Your files and information stay safe. When you use an archived app again, it downloads from the Internet to work like normal (if it’s still available).

Why would you want to turn this on or off? Turning it on saves storage space. Turning it off keeps your apps ready to use right away without downloading.

Reference:

ApplicationManagement Policy CSP

Learn more about the ApplicationManagement Area in Policy CSP.

Option One

Turn Archive Apps On or Off for Your Account in Settings

1. Open Settings (Win+I).
2. Click on Apps on the left side. Then click on Advanced app settings on the right side.
3.  Open Advanced app settings
4. Turn archive apps On (this is the default) or Off for what you want.
5. You can now close Settings.

Option Two

Turn Archive Apps On or Off for a Specific Person in Registry Editor

⚠️ Admin Required: You must be signed in as an administrator to use this option.

1. Open Windows Terminal. Select Windows PowerShell.
2. Copy and paste the command below into PowerShell. Press Enter.

Get-WmiObject win32_useraccount | Select name,sid

3. Find the SID (example: “S-1-5-21-2398723747-3920169192-1191725819-1001”) for the account (example: “User1”) you want to turn archive apps on or off for.

You will need to know the SID of the person’s account. You’ll use it in the step below.

4. Open Registry Editor (regedit.exe).
5. Navigate to this location in the left pane of Registry Editor:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\InstallService\Stubification

6. Under Stubification, click on the folder (example: “S-1-5-21-2398723747-3920169192-1191725819-1001”) that matches the SID from step 3 (example: “S-1-5-21-2398723747-3920169192-1191725819-1001”).

7. In the right pane, double-click on EnableAppOffloading to change it.
8. Type 1 (on – this is the default) or 0 (off) for what you want. Click OK.

9. You can now close Registry Editor and Windows Terminal.

Option Three

Turn Archive Apps On or Off for Everyone in Local Group Policy Editor

⚠️ Admin Required: You must be signed in as an administrator to use this option.

Note: Local Group Policy Editor only works on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education. If you have Home edition, use Option Four instead.

1. Open Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc).
2. Navigate to this location in the left pane:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > App Package Deployment

3. In the right pane, double-click on Archive infrequently used apps to change it.

To Turn Archive Apps On for Everyone:

1. Click the dot next to Enabled.
2. Click OK. Go to step 8 below.

To Turn Archive Apps Off for Everyone:

1. Click the dot next to Disabled. (see screenshot below)
2. Click OK. Go to step 8 below.

To Use Default Settings (Let People Choose):

1. Click the dot next to Not Configured.
2. Click OK. Go to step 8 below.

8. You can now close Local Group Policy Editor.

Option Four

Turn Archive Apps On or Off for Everyone Using a REG File

⚠️ Admin Required: You must be signed in as an administrator to use this option.

To Turn Archive Apps On for Everyone:

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Appx" /v AllowAutomaticAppArchiving /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

To Turn Archive Apps Off for Everyone:

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Appx" /v AllowAutomaticAppArchiving /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

To Use Default Settings (Let People Choose):

reg delete "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Appx" /v AllowAutomaticAppArchiving /f

Summary

Archive apps save space on your computer by removing apps you don’t use often. The files stay safe. When you use the app again, it downloads and restores automatically. You can turn this feature on or off in four ways:

• Option One: Use Settings for just your account. This is the easiest way.
• Option Two: Use Registry Editor to change settings for one specific person on the computer. Requires admin access.
• Option Three: Use Local Group Policy Editor to change settings for everyone. Only works on Pro, Enterprise, and Education versions. Requires admin access.
• Option Four: Use a REG file to change settings for everyone. Works on all versions. Requires admin access.