Windows Apps Not Opening? How to Fix Notepad, Calculator, and Camera Issues (2025 Guide)

Is Notepad, Calculator, or the Camera App Suddenly Not Working?

You sit down to do something simple on your PC — jot a quick note, run a calculation, or check your webcam — and suddenly:

• Notepad doesn’t open at all
• Calculator freezes or says “Not responding”
• The Camera app shows a black screen
• Or other built-in apps like Photos, Snipping Tool, or Microsoft Store refuse to launch

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
On Windows 11 (especially recent builds), more and more users are running into problems where default apps simply won’t open or behave normally.

The good news:
In most cases, you don’t need to reset your entire PC or give up.
This guide walks you through:

• Why Windows built-in apps stop working
• Safe things you can try first (for beginners)
• App-specific fixes for Notepad, Calculator, and Camera
• Deeper repair options when nothing else works

Let’s go step by step.

1. Symptoms and What Might Be Going On

Here are some of the most common symptoms:

• Clicking Notepad does nothing, or it flashes and closes instantly
• Calculator opens but doesn’t respond, stays blank, or closes on its own
• Camera app opens but the screen stays completely black
• Other Store apps (Photos, Snipping Tool, Mail, etc.) also misbehave
• Microsoft Store itself refuses to launch or shows random errors

Behind the scenes, several things can cause this:

• A recent Windows Update failed or didn’t install cleanly
• App data or cache files are corrupted
• The app’s installation (UWP package) is damaged
• Privacy permissions (especially for Camera) are turned off
• Security tools, “PC optimizers”, or other software are interfering
• Your user profile is corrupted or misconfigured

We’ll start with easy, low-risk fixes and progress to more advanced options.

2. Before You Start: Safety Tips

Before making changes to the system, keep these points in mind:

• If possible, create a restore point so you can roll back later
• Use an administrator account for the steps that mention PowerShell or system settings
• When you see commands, copy and paste them instead of typing by hand to avoid mistakes
• If any step makes you uncomfortable, it’s fine to stop there — you don’t need to do everything in this list

3. Basic Fixes You Should Try First (For All Apps)

3-1. Restart Windows

It sounds too simple, but it really is the first thing to do.

1. Click the Start button
2. Select the Power icon
3. Choose Restart

Temporary glitches in background services often disappear after a clean restart.
After the reboot, try opening Notepad, Calculator, and the Camera app again.

3-2. Check and Repair System Files (SFC / DISM)

If Windows core files are corrupted, built-in apps can start acting strangely.

1. Right-click the Start button
2. Select Windows Terminal (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin)
3. In the window that opens, type the following and press Enter:

sfc /scannow

Wait for it to finish (this can take a while).
Then run:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Once both commands complete, restart your PC and check if the apps behave normally.

3-3. Install the Latest Windows Updates

Sometimes Microsoft fixes app problems in later updates.

1. Open Settings → Windows Update
2. Click Check for updates
3. Install everything that’s offered (including optional quality updates, if relevant)
4. Restart your PC when prompted

Afterwards, test Notepad, Calculator, and the Camera app again.

4. Fixing Notepad When It Won’t Open

Notepad used to be a simple executable, but on newer Windows 11 builds it behaves more like a modern app, which also means more points of failure.

4-1. Try Launching Notepad in Different Ways

First, see whether it’s just the shortcut that’s broken.

• Press Windows key, type Notepad, and press Enter
• Or press Windows + R, type notepad and press Enter

If that still doesn’t work, try the classic executable:

1. Open File Explorer
2. Go to C:\Windows\
3. Double-click notepad.exe

If notepad.exe works but the usual shortcuts do not, the problem might be with app execution aliases or the new app package.

4-2. Reset the Notepad App

On Windows 11, Notepad has its own app settings.

1. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps
2. Search for Notepad
3. Click the ⋯ (three dots) next to it → Advanced options
4. Scroll down and click Repair
5. If that doesn’t help, click Reset

A reset clears the app’s data and puts it back to its default state without touching your documents.

4-3. Check “App Execution Aliases”

If the notepad command doesn’t launch the proper app, this setting may be turned off.

1. Go to Settings → Apps → Advanced app settings → App execution aliases
2. Find Notepad in the list
3. Make sure the toggle is On

After enabling it, try launching Notepad again from Start or Run.

5. Fixing Calculator When It Freezes or Won’t Open

5-1. Reset Calculator via Settings

Just like Notepad, the Calculator app has a built-in repair option.

1. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps
2. Search for Calculator or Windows Calculator
3. Click Advanced options
4. Click Repair first
5. If it still misbehaves, click Reset

Test the app again after each step.

5-2. Repair Calculator Using PowerShell (Safe Method)

If the graphical reset doesn’t work, you can repair the package using PowerShell.

1. Right-click the Start button → Windows Terminal (Admin)
2. Paste this command and press Enter:

Get-AppxPackage *windowscalculator* | Reset-AppxPackage

This tells Windows to repair the Calculator app (not remove it).
Once the command finishes, restart your PC and try the Calculator again.

6. Fixing the Camera App When the Screen Is Black

The Camera app is a bit special because it depends heavily on privacy settings and device drivers.

6-1. Check Camera Privacy Permissions

1. Open Settings → Privacy & security
2. Click Camera
3. Make sure Camera access for this device is On
4. Turn on Let apps access your camera
5. In the list of apps below, confirm that Camera (and any app you want to use) is also set to On

If Camera was blocked at this level, enabling it often fixes the black screen instantly.

6-2. Close Other Apps That Might Be Using the Camera

Only one app can usually control the webcam at a time.
If Zoom, Teams, or another video app is running in the background, they may be “holding onto” the camera.

• Close Zoom, Teams, or other video apps completely
• Open Task Manager and end any leftover processes related to them
• Try the Camera app again with no other video apps running

6-3. Re-detect the Camera in Device Manager

If Windows loses track of your camera hardware, you can force it to re-detect it.

1. Right-click the Start button → Device Manager
2. Expand Cameras or Imaging devices
3. Right-click your camera device → Uninstall device
4. Confirm, then restart your PC

Windows should automatically reinstall the driver on reboot.
After that, open the Camera app and see if it works correctly.

6-4. Update or Reinstall the Camera Driver

Still no luck?

• In Device Manager, right-click your camera → Update driver → Search automatically
• If your laptop manufacturer provides a dedicated camera driver on their website, download and install it, then reboot

A clean driver install often solves mysterious black-screen issues.

7. Resetting Built-In Apps the Easy Way

Many misbehaving apps can be fixed simply by resetting them one by one using the Settings app:

1. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps
2. Search for the problem app:
   • Notepad
   • Calculator
   • Camera
   • Photos
   • Snipping Tool, etc.
3. Click Advanced options (if available)
4. Try Repair first
5. If that doesn’t help, use Reset

This only affects the selected app, not your personal files or other applications.

8. Repairing Microsoft Store and All Store Apps

Many built-in Windows 11 apps are Microsoft Store apps, so if the Store platform itself is broken, multiple apps can fail at the same time.

8-1. Clear the Microsoft Store Cache (wsreset)

1. Press Windows + R to open Run
2. Type wsreset.exe and press Enter
3. A blank Command Prompt window will appear for a moment, then Microsoft Store will open automatically

This clears the Store cache and can fix download and launch issues.

8-2. Repair the Microsoft Store App

1. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps
2. Search for Microsoft Store
3. Click Advanced options
4. Click Repair
5. If necessary, also try Reset

After that, restart Windows and test your other Store apps as well.

8-3. Repair All Store Apps via PowerShell (Advanced but Powerful)

If several Store apps are broken at once, repairing them in bulk can save time.

1. Open Windows Terminal (Admin)
2. Paste the following command and press Enter:

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Reset-AppxPackage

This tells Windows to repair all Store apps for all users, without uninstalling them.

⚠️ Note:
This may take some time, and you might see a few harmless warnings.
Once it finishes, restart your PC and test your apps again.

9. Use Safe Mode and a New User Account to Narrow Down the Cause

If the apps still won’t work, it’s time to figure out whether the problem is:

• System-wide, or
• Limited to your current user account

9-1. Test in Safe Mode

1. Open Settings → System → Recovery
2. Under Advanced startup, click Restart now
3. On the blue screen, choose Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings
4. Click Restart
5. When the menu appears, press 4 to Enable Safe Mode

Once in Safe Mode, try Notepad, Calculator, and the Camera app.

• If they work in Safe Mode, a third-party program (security suite, optimizer, overlay, etc.) might be interfering in normal mode.

9-2. Create a New Local User and Test

If Safe Mode doesn’t help, your user profile might be damaged.

1. Open Settings → Accounts → Family & other users
2. Under Other users, click Add account
3. Choose I don’t have this person’s sign-in information, then Add a user without a Microsoft account
4. Create a simple local account (for testing)
5. Sign out and sign in with that new account
6. Try opening Notepad, Calculator, and Camera

If they work fine under the new account, it strongly suggests the original profile is corrupted.
You can then gradually move your files and settings to the new profile as a more permanent solution.

10. When Nothing Else Works: Repair Install Windows (In-Place Upgrade)

If multiple built-in apps are broken and none of the above steps helped, the underlying Windows installation may be badly damaged.

One powerful option is a repair install (also called an in-place upgrade):

• You reinstall Windows using official installation media
• You choose the option to keep your personal files and apps
• Windows core files are replaced, but your programs and data remain in place

The exact steps vary depending on the tool you use (ISO file vs. setup assistant), so it’s best to follow a dedicated guide just for this process.
However, in many stubborn cases, a repair install is what finally restores all built-in apps to working order.

11. (Optional) Helpful Extras and Hardware Checks

11-1. Check Free Disk Space and Drive Health

Low disk space or a failing drive can also lead to app corruption. Consider:

• Freeing up space on your system drive (C:)
• Moving large files to an external SSD or HDD
• Running CHKDSK or the manufacturer’s diagnostic tools

11-2. Test with an External Webcam (for Camera Issues)

If the Camera app still shows a black screen even after all software fixes:

• Your built-in webcam hardware may be faulty
• As a workaround (and a test), you can plug in a USB webcam and see if it works immediately in the Camera app and video calls

12. Summary: Don’t Panic When Windows Default Apps Won’t Open

When Notepad, Calculator, or the Camera app suddenly stops working, it can feel like your whole PC is broken.
But in most cases, the problem is limited to:

• Damaged app data or cache
• A misbehaving Microsoft Store component
• Missing permissions, or
• A glitch in your user profile

Here’s a quick recap of what we covered:

1. Start simple: restart Windows, run SFC/DISM, and install the latest updates
2. Reset individual apps like Notepad, Calculator, and Camera via Settings → Apps
3. Fix Camera-specific issues by checking privacy permissions, closing other video apps, and updating drivers
4. Repair Microsoft Store and all Store apps with wsreset and Reset-AppxPackage
5. Use Safe Mode and a new user account to see if the problem is system-wide or profile-specific
6. As a last resort, consider an in-place repair install of Windows to refresh core files without losing data

Unexpected app failures are frustrating, especially when you just want to do something simple. The key is to stay calm, work through the basic checks, and only move on to advanced repairs if you really need them. With the right steps — and a careful approach — most Windows app problems can be solved without wiping your PC or starting from scratch.

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タグ: Windows 11, Notepad not opening, Calculator not working, Camera app black screen, Microsoft Store apps, Windows apps not opening