Microsoft finally shares guide to fix a pre-Windows 11 "0x80131500" Store error

Microsoft has finally released a detailed guide on how to fix the "0x80131500" error on its Store. The company has updated one of the support pages on its official website to add this new entry. Neowin noticed this new page while browsing.

Upon coming across this, we wondered if this was a recent bug that was affecting the Microsoft Store. However, a quick Google search reveals that people have been encountering this issue for a while with complaints going all the way back to 2019. That was six years ago and pre-dates the release of Windows 11 by two years as the OS became generally available in October 2021.

In the new support article about the 0x80131500 error, Microsoft lists four ways to fix the issue including tweaking the TLS (transport layer security) internet settings:

If you see an error that says, "Try that again" or "Error 0x80131500" when using or trying to open Microsoft Store on Windows, try the following solutions.

 

• Reset the Microsoft Store app
• Check for updates
• Run the Store troubleshooter (Windows 10 only)
• Update your internet TLS settings

About the TLS settings, Microsoft has asked users to ensure that TLS 1.2 and 1.3 are being used. It writes:

1. Select the Windows icon to open the Start menu, and search for Run.

2. Enter inetcpl.cpl into the Run dialog box and press OK.

3. Select the Advanced tab and scroll to the bottom.

4. Inspect the Use TLS settings:

    

   

    

   • Ensure that Use TLS 1.0 and Use TLS 1.1 are unchecked.

   • Ensure that Use TLS 1.2 and Use TLS 1.3 are checked.

      

     Note: Your settings may say "Use TLS 1.3 (experimental)". That's fine, just ensure that it's checked.

      

5. Press OK to save your settings.

Interestingly, Microsoft has used this "0x80131500" code in the past too in the context of Windows 10 20H2 update error in some cases. You can find the support article here on Microsoft's official website.

Also in case you may not be aware, the deprecation of TLS 1.0 and 1.1 on Windows was announced back in 2023 and is disabled by Microsoft 365 products as well as WinHTTP and WinINet API surfaces.

Source

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