Sticky Notes, a pre-installed Windows application, is designed for quickly capturing information such as text, links, and images. It also supports syncing notes across various devices, including smartphones and other Windows PCs. If you're experiencing issues with the app not opening or working properly, this guide provides several troubleshooting steps to help you fix the problem.

Useful tip: accidentally deleted a sticky note? Here's how to retrieve it.

Table of Contents

• Basic Troubleshooting
• 1. Deactivate Insights Feature
• 2. Repair/Reset Sticky Notes
• 3. Reinstall Sticky Notes
• 4. Troubleshooting Microsoft Store Apps
• 5. Reregister the App

Basic Troubleshooting

Before delving into specific solutions, consider these initial troubleshooting steps that might resolve the Sticky Notes issue without further action:

• Verify your Internet connection: You can create a Sticky Note offline, but you'll need an internet connection to save and retrieve your notes. Ensure your internet is working correctly. If your Wi-Fi isn't functioning, refer to our troubleshooting guide. For Ethernet issues, consult our dedicated article.
• Restart your computer: A simple reboot can often fix a variety of problems by stopping any troublesome background processes and allowing the system to restart fresh.
• Close other note-taking apps: If you have other third-party note-taking apps open, close them via Task Manager and then attempt to open Sticky Notes again.

Tip: Did you know Instagram offers a notes feature? Here's how to use it.

1. Deactivate Insights Feature

The Insights feature in Sticky Notes lets Cortana and Bing interact with your notes, like turning phone numbers into clickable call links. However, this could sometimes cause issues with the app, so it's advisable to turn it off.

Click on the three-dot icon located at the top right of the Sticky Notes app.

Select "Notes list."

Click the gear icon at the top right.

In the "General" section, switch off the "Enable insights" option.

2. Repair/Reset Sticky Notes

Windows offers a built-in feature to repair or reset the Sticky Notes app. While repairing won't affect your data, resetting will delete it, so back up your notes first.

Open the Run dialog by pressing Win R, enter the following path, and click "OK."

<code>%LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState</code>

In the File Explorer window that appears, select the "plum.sqlite" file, and click the "Copy" icon in the top bar.

Paste the file into another folder or an external drive/USB.

You can now safely repair or reset the Sticky Notes app.

Search for "Sticky Notes" in Windows Search, and select "App settings" from the right side of the results.

First, attempt to repair the app by scrolling down and clicking the "Repair" button.

If the Sticky Notes app still doesn't function correctly, click the "Reset" button below the repair option.

Confirm the reset by clicking "Reset" in the prompt that appears.

Note: If you encounter a "Disk is write protected" error with USB drives in Windows, here's how to resolve it.

3. Reinstall Sticky Notes

If Sticky Notes continues to malfunction even after repairing or resetting, consider uninstalling and reinstalling the app from the Microsoft Store.

Navigate to the "App settings" of the Sticky Notes app as described earlier.

Click the "Uninstall" button in the "Uninstall" section.

Confirm the uninstallation by clicking "Uninstall" in the prompt.

Next, open the Start menu and launch the Microsoft Store.

Search for the Sticky Notes app using the store's search bar.

Click the "Get" button to download and install Sticky Notes.

After installation, open Sticky Notes to check if it's functioning correctly. Reinstalling the app won't affect your previous notes; you'll be able to access them as before.

4. Troubleshooting Microsoft Store Apps

If Sticky Notes still isn't working properly, try troubleshooting other Microsoft Store apps.

In Windows 11, you can update the Microsoft Store by clicking the Start menu, opening the Microsoft Store app, and selecting "Library" at the bottom.

Click "Get Updates" at the top to install any available updates automatically.

Ensure you have the latest Windows updates installed to maintain optimal performance of Microsoft apps.

In Windows 10, Microsoft provides a dedicated troubleshooter for Microsoft Store apps. Access it through "Settings -> Update & security -> Troubleshoot -> Windows Store Apps," and click "Run the troubleshooter."

Note: If the Windows Troubleshooter isn't working, learn how to fix it.

5. Reregister the App

Reregistering Sticky Notes might resolve some underlying issues. Use Microsoft PowerShell for this task.

Open PowerShell with admin rights by pressing Win X and selecting "Terminal (Admin)." Click "Yes" if prompted to allow admin access.

Ensure Sticky Notes and any other open notes are closed, then enter the following command in PowerShell and press Enter.

<code>Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml" -Verbose}</code>

After the command executes successfully, try opening the Sticky Notes app to see if the issue is resolved.

Tip: Learn how to collaborate and highlight changes in Notes on iOS.

Revive Your Note-Taking

If you continue to face issues with Sticky Notes, consider using traditional paper notes or alternative note-taking apps like Obsidian on your Windows machine. Alternatively, use your mobile device for note-taking. iOS users can utilize the built-in Notes app, while Android users have various top-rated note-taking apps to choose from.

Image credit: Pixabay. All screenshots by Meenatchi Nagasubramanian.

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