By default, it is enabled in Windows 11. When it’s on, your files and other data will be saved and archived. The next time you attempt to use an archived app, it will leave the archived state, and reconnect to the internet to download and restore to the latest version, provided the app is still available. This can be terrifying especially for an app that is rarely used and not very popular, gets archived, and can’t get restored because the full version is no longer available. When you think about it, I want to believe that when you attempt to reuse an archived app, it is still functional, and all your files, folders, and other data are still intact. If not, you may be happy about not reusing an important app that you rarely use. To reconnect online to restore makes me think this is not the case. However, you can disable the feature in Windows so as not to find out if your archived apps can restore when you want to use them again. Archive apps aren’t new to Windows 11. It was first released as a preview in Windows 10. To get started with disabling or enabling Archive apps in Windows 11, follow the steps below:
How to disable or enable archive apps in Windows 11
Again, the feature is easy to turn off or turn on. Simply follow the steps below to do that. Windows 11 has a centralized location for the majority of its settings. From system configurations to creating new users and updating Windows, all can be done from the System Settings pane. To get to System Settings, you can use the Windows key + I shortcut or click on Start ==> Settings as shown in the image below: Alternatively, you can use the search box on the taskbar and search for Settings. Then select to open it. Windows Settings pane should look similar to the image below. In Windows Settings, click Apps, and select Apps & features on the right pane of your screen shown in the image below. On the Apps & features settings pane, expand More settings, then select Archive apps as highlighted below. On the Archive apps settings pane, toggle the button to disable or enable it.
How to enable archive apps in Windows 11
If you disabled it and you changed your mind about archiving your rarely used apps, you can go and re-enable it as shown below. To do that, reverse the steps above by going to Start ==> Settings ==> Apps ==> Apps & features ==> More settings ==> Archive apps and enable it there. That should do it! Conclusion: This post showed you how to disable or enable Windows 11 Archive apps feature. If you find any error above, please use the comment form below to report.
