With the Xbox app on Windows, you can use your PC Game Pass to download high-end games to your computer. The app also makes launching, updating, and managing your games from one location simple. However, you may have difficulty doing so if the Xbox app stops displaying the games you have installed on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC.
If you have already tried restarting the app or your PC to no avail, don’t worry. Here are some helpful troubleshooting tips for enabling the Xbox app to detect and display your installed games.
1. Sign Out and Sign Back In
Signing out and returning to the Xbox app is a basic yet effective way to fix this problem. If it’s just a minor glitch, this should help fix it.
Step 1: Open the Xbox app on your PC. Click on your username in the top left corner and select Sign out.
Step 2: Click the Sign in option in the top left corner and select Sign in to add your account.
After you sign back in, the Xbox app should display the installed games as before.
2. Restart Gaming Services
The Xbox app relies on Gaming Services to install, update, and manage your games on Windows. If Gaming Services encounters any issues, the Xbox app may fail to show your installed games on Windows. You can try restarting Gaming Services on your PC to see if that restores normalcy.
Step 1: Press the Windows + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run dialog box. Type services.msc in the box and press Enter.
Step 2: In the Services window, scroll down to locate Gaming Services. Right-click on it and select Restart.
After completing the above steps, return to the Xbox app and check if your owned and installed games appear.
3. Delete Temporary Files
Temporary files on your PC can sometimes disrupt system processes and prevent your apps and programs from loading correctly on Windows. If that’s the case, clearing the temporary files should fix the problem.
Step 1: Click the Windows Search icon on the taskbar, type in disk cleanup, and press Enter.
Step 2: Use the drop-down menu to select your primary drive and click OK.
Step 3: Under Files to delete, select the Temporary files checkbox and click OK to proceed.
Step 4: Click the Delete Files button when the confirmation prompt appears.
4. Repair or Reset the Xbox App
The built-in app repair feature in Windows can come in handy when apps like Xbox misbehave on your PC. You can try using this feature to fix issues with the Xbox app and get it to show installed games on Windows. Here’s how.
Step 1: Press the Windows + S keyboard shortcut to open the search menu. Type Xbox in the search box, right-click on the first result that appears, and select App settings.
Step 2: Under the Reset section, click the Repair button.
After you repair the Xbox app, it should detect and show installed games on Windows. However, if the issue persists, you can try resetting the app from the same menu. This will allow Windows to delete all the data associated with the app and reinstate it to its default configuration.
5. Update the Xbox and Gaming Services App
If you can’t find your installed games in the Xbox app even after repairing or resetting it, you can try updating it, along with the Gaming Services app.
Open the Microsoft Store on your PC and click the Library option in the bottom left corner. Then, click the Get updates button at the top-right corner to check if an update is available for the Xbox and Gaming Services app.
After updating both apps, check if the issue is still there.
6. Flush DNS and Reset TCP/IP
Several users on the Microsoft forums reported fixing this specific issue by flushing the DNS cache and resetting the TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) stack. SIf the above fixes prove ineffective, you can give this method a try.
Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon and select Terminal (Admin) from the list.
Step 2: Select Yes when the User Account Control (UAC) prompt appears.
Step 3: Run the following commands in the console and press Enter after each one:
ipconfig /release ipconfig /renew ipconfig /flushdns ipconfig /registerdns nbtstat -rr netsh winsock reset netsh int ip reset
Restart your PC after running the above commands, and the Xbox should display the installed games afterward.
From Invisible to Invincible
When the Xbox app fails to show installed games, you may have difficulty accessing or managing them. Hopefully, that is no longer the case, and one of the tips mentioned above has resolved the issue.
Last updated on 11 August, 2023
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.