Recently, many users have received an error message saying “This location isn’t set up for installing games” when trying to install a new game on Windows 11 using the Xbox app, and then the game installation process will stop. Users who receive this error do not have Game Services installed on their PCs. Also, this error can occur when the default storage location for downloaded game files has not been set.
If you’re also using the Xbox app on a Windows PC you’re getting an error that this location is not set to install games. Keep reading as we walk you through a few different ways to fix “This location isn’t set up for installing games”.
Before repairing, please check the following points to see if you can fix the error.
1. Check for any Windows updates and install them.
2. Make sure the game you are trying to install is compatible with your Windows version.
3. Restart the Xbox app.
4. Restart your PC and check if the error is there.
Fix This Location Isn’t Set Up for Installing Games Error in Xbox App
If you checked the above points and the “This location isn’t set up for installing games” error still occurs, please continue to try the following solutions.
Fix 1: Check game dependencies and download them
Game dependencies are those applications that need to be present on your computer in order to install or play the game. Once you’ve found the missing game dependencies, you can install them if the installation didn’t complete.
Step 1 Hit the Windows key and type xbox in the search box.
Step 2 In the Best Bets search results, click the Xbox app.
Step 3 Click on your profile name in the upper left corner of the application window.
Step 4 In the menu that opens, click Settings.
Step 5 Select the “General” tab in the “Settings” window.
Step 6 If any game dependencies need to be installed, there will be a notification on the top right.
Step 7 If you see any missing dependencies here, click the Install button.
Step 8 Wait for the installation process to complete. Then, install the game and check if the error is fixed.
Fix 2: Choose a default storage location
Step 1 Open the Settings app using the Windows + I key combination.
Step 2 With the System tab highlighted in the left panel, scroll to find Storage on the right.
Step 3 Click Storage.
Step 4 Go to the Storage Management section and click Advanced Storage Settings.
Step 5 In the list that appears, select “Where to store new content”.
Step 6 On this page, use the drop-down list under “New apps will be saved to” and select the desired drive.
Step 7 Then, click Apply.
Step 8 Try downloading and installing the game to see if the problem is resolved.
Fix 3: Update Game Services
Step 1 Use Windows + R to open the Run dialog.
Step 2 Type Powershell and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys simultaneously to run PowerShell as administrator. Click Yes when prompted by UAC.
Step 3 Type the command given below and press Enter.
Step 4 Under Services, look for keys named “GamingServiceNet” and “GamingServices”.
Step 5 Right-click the keys once and select Delete. Click Yes to confirm deleting the key.
Step 6 Restart the system after deleting the above two keys.
Step 7 Click on the Windows key and type Store.
Step 8 Click Microsoft Store in the best matching results.
Step 9 Go to the Libraries tab in the lower left corner.
Step 10 In the Updates and Downloads section, check for any updates available for Xbox or game services.
Step 11 If any update is available, click on the Update button to download and install the latest update.
Step 12 Check if the issue is resolved after the update.
Fix 4: Install the game using the Microsoft Store
Step 1 Make sure you’re using the same account for both the Microsoft Store and the Xbox app.
Step 2 Open both the Xbox app and the Microsoft Store.
Step 3 Search for the game in the Microsoft Store using the search box.
Step 4 Click “Install” to download and install the game on your PC.
Step 5 You will see the game installing in the store and in the Xbox app.
Fix 5: Update the permissions of the Windows folder
Missing permissions to the WindowsApps folder after upgrading the operating system to Windows 11 can also cause this error. The WindowsApps folder contains all the applications on your PC from the Microsoft Store. By default, Windows 11 users have administrator rights to Windows Apps in the C drive. However, when you change where you save new apps on your PC, the WindowsApps folder is created on the new drive location, but it doesn’t have administrator permissions. This may cause errors when installing games using your Xbox.
Step 1 Hit the Windows key and type command prompt.
Step 2 With Command Prompt highlighted, click Run as Administrator on the right.
Step 3 Copy and paste the command, then press Enter.
takeown /f “<path>” /r
Note: Here, <path> is the name and path of the folder to take ownership of. This path will be the path to the WindowsApps folder on the drive chosen to save the app.
Step 4 Open File Explorer (Windows + E).
Step 5 Navigate to the path C:\Program Files
Step 6 Select the Windows Applications folder and click the remove icon at the top.
Step 7 Make sure to delete this folder in your system’s Recycle Bin.
Step 8 Reboot the system and check if the error installing the game on Xbox is resolved.
Fix 6: Repair and reset the Xbox app
Step 1 Press Windows + R to open Run.
Step 2 Type ms-settings:appfeatures and press Enter to open the installed applications page.
Step 3 Find the Xbox app using the search bar in the list of installed apps
Step 4 Click on the three-dot menu associated with Xbox and select Advanced Options.
Step 5 Go to the Reset section on the Advanced Options page.
Step 6 Click on Repair button.
Step 7 After repairing, check if the error is resolved.
Step 8 If the problem persists, go back to the Advanced Options page and click Reset.
Click Reset again on the confirmation prompt.
Step 9 After resetting the app, turn on the Xbox and try to install the game to check if the error is fixed.
Fix 7: Reinstall the Xbox app
Step 1 Do Steps 1-5 in the Fix 1.
Step 2 Click on the three ellipses associated with Xbox and select Uninstall.
Step 3 When prompted for confirmation, click Uninstall again.
Step 4 Wait for the app to uninstall.
Step 5 Open the Microsoft Store and search for the Xbox app.
Step 6 Click Get/Install to install the Xbox app on your PC.
Step 7 After installing the Xbox, try downloading the game and see if the error still exists.
Summary
That’s all about 7 ways to fix this location isn’t set up for installing games error in Xbox app. If you are facing this problem. Follow the steps to fix it quickly and easily.
