Microsoft has confirmed that running a System Restore in Windows 11 can stop some apps working. It said the flaw affects apps that use the MSIX Windows package format to run, including Notepad, Paint, Office and Cortana.
In a blog post (KB5023152: “This app can’t open” error message when starting a Windows app in Windows 11, version 22H2 – Microsoft Support 3) it said that the flaw causes the error message ‘This app can’t open’ to be shown (see screenshot above).
It added that the flaw may also cause apps to appear multiple times on the Start menu. It didn’t say when it would fix the flaw, but did offer temporary solutions, including running Windows Update and reinstalling the affected app from the Microsoft Store. If the app didn’t come from the Store, Microsoft suggests reinstalling it “from the original source from which it was first installed”. Only computers running version 22H2 of Windows 11 are affected by the problem.