SHARA won’t install: fix a blocked Microsoft Store
SHARA installs from the Microsoft Store, so an install fails when the Store itself is broken, out of date, or turned off by your organisation. Reset the Store, restart Windows, check you are on Windows 10 version 2004 or later, and ask IT to allow the Store app if it is blocked.
Fix the Store first#
SHARA installs like any Store app, so fix the Store before you suspect SHARA. Work through these in order.
- Restart Windows. If Windows updates were installed recently, Microsoft says you must restart the PC before you can install apps from the Store.
- Reset the Store. Press Win+R, type
wsreset.exeand select OK. A blank window opens, and after about ten seconds the Store reopens by itself. - Check your Windows version. Press Win+R, type
winverand select OK. SHARA needs Windows 10 version 2004 (build 19041) or later, or Windows 11. On an incompatible device the Store can hide or block the install button. - Update Windows and the Store. Run Windows Update, then update the Microsoft Store app itself.
- Sign in. Make sure the Store is signed in to your Microsoft account and this PC is linked to it. SHARA has no account of its own.
- Open SHARA’s Store page directly. Use the link on the install page rather than searching, then select Get or Install.
What you see, and what it usually means#
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The Store opens a message that it is blocked or turned off | Your organisation turned the Store app off with a policy. | Ask IT to allow it, or to install SHARA for you. See the IT section below. |
| The Get or Install button is missing or greyed out | Windows is older than version 2004 (build 19041), or this PC is not linked to your Microsoft account. | Check your Windows version, then sign in to the Store with your Microsoft account. |
| The download never starts or stalls | A Store glitch, or Windows updates waiting for a restart. | Run wsreset.exe, then restart the PC and try again. |
| SHARA does not appear in the Store search | The Store cache is stale, or the listing is not offered in your region. | Open the SHARA Store page from the link on the install page instead of searching. |
The Store is blocked on a work or school PC#
Organisations can turn the Microsoft Store app off for every user. When they do, you get a message when you open it, and nothing you change on your own PC will undo it. This is your IT team’s decision, not a fault in SHARA. Ask them to either allow the Store, or install SHARA for you. The next section is written so you can forward it.
Do not try to work around a policy on a managed device. Install SHARA on a personal PC instead, or ask IT to approve it.
For your IT team#
- Where SHARA comes from: the Microsoft Store, app ID 9NSBK9J07HS4. Windows 10 version 2004 (build 19041) or later, and Windows 11.
- How the Store is usually blocked: the Group Policy setting Turn off the Store application under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Store, or the same setting in an Intune Settings catalog policy.
- Allowing one app: Microsoft documents that devices managed with Intune can still install apps sourced from the Store even if the Store app is blocked, so SHARA can be assigned as a Store app.
- Network and data: no sign-in and no telemetry. The network is used to download the app and, for Pro, to check the price, check out and restore a purchase.
Microsoft’s Configure access to the Microsoft Store app page describes the policy, and notes users might still install apps with winget if the package does not come from the Store.
Antivirus#
We have not tested SHARA against every antivirus product, so we make no claim that any one of them will or will not flag it. If your security software blocks or quarantines SHARA, send us the product name, its version and the exact message at support@creatorkit.mashyo.com. Do not turn protection off to install an app; ask your IT team or the vendor instead.
Questions#
Is there an .exe I can install without the Store?
Can my IT team install it for me?
Does SHARA need an account?
Will my antivirus block SHARA?
Does SHARA work on Windows 10?
None of this worked. What now?
Installed but cannot see SHARA?
Check it is not turned off with Ctrl+Win+Z (the same keys turn it back on). If viewers cannot see your drawing on a call, read viewers can’t see ink.
More in Troubleshooting: Viewers can’t see ink · Multiple monitors and 4K.