Staring at a loading bar that refuse to move is a special kind of torture. You’ve got the afternoon off, the coffee is hot, and you’re ready to hop into a new survival world, but instead, you’re looking at a grayed-out button. It says "Waiting on Install." It stays there. Five minutes pass. Ten. Suddenly, your gaming session feels like it’s over before it even started.
Honestly, this is one of the most frustrating bugs in the modern Minecraft Launcher. It’s not even a "bug" in the traditional sense where the game crashes; it’s a communication breakdown between the Microsoft Store, the Xbox App, and the Launcher itself. Since Mojang migrated everyone over to Microsoft accounts and unified the launcher, the plumbing behind the scenes has become incredibly complex. It’s a mess of background services that don't always talk to each other correctly.
The Reality of the Waiting on Install Loop
When you see Minecraft stuck on waiting on install, your computer is basically having a three-way argument. The Minecraft Launcher is asking the Xbox App for the files. The Xbox App is trying to get permission from the Microsoft Store. The Microsoft Store is waiting for a Windows Update service that might be asleep at the wheel. If any one of these links breaks, the whole process just sits there indefinitely.
Most people assume it’s their internet. It usually isn't. You can have gigabit fiber and still get stuck. This is a software handshake issue. Sometimes, the Launcher thinks an update is required, but the Microsoft Store hasn't "pushed" that update to your local cache yet. So, the Launcher waits. And waits. It’s a ghost in the machine situation.
I've seen users on Reddit and the official Mojang bug tracker (specifically under tickets like MCL-21762) report that this happens most frequently after a Windows update or a major game patch, like the recent Bundles of Bravery drops. It’s a synchronization error. Basically, the manifest file on your PC doesn't match what's on the server, and the system freezes up because it doesn't know which one to trust.
The "Gaming Services" Culprit
If you want to find the real villain here, look at a tiny, often-ignored piece of software called Gaming Services. This is a background app that handles everything related to the Xbox ecosystem on Windows. If this app is outdated or its cache is corrupted, you’re going to have a bad time.
Repairing this isn't always straightforward. You can't just "reinstall" it like a normal app from the Start menu. You often have to go into your Windows Settings, find the App list, search for Gaming Services, and hit the "Repair" or "Reset" button. Does it work every time? No. But it's usually the first domino that needs to fall.
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Another weird quirk: your system clock. If your computer's time is off by even a minute or two, the security certificates used by the Microsoft Store will fail. The store thinks you're trying to spoof a connection, so it halts the download. It sounds stupid, but toggling "Set time automatically" in your date and time settings fixes about 20% of these "waiting" hangs instantly.
Why the Microsoft Store Version is Such a Headache
Let's be real—the move to the "Unified Launcher" was supposed to make things easier, but for many, it did the opposite. Before, the Java Edition launcher was a standalone entity. It was simple. Now, everything is tied to the Universal Windows Platform (UWP).
- Conflict with the Xbox App: Sometimes the Xbox app tries to manage the install while the Launcher is also trying to manage it. They fight.
- Disk Space Miscalculation: The Store might think you don't have enough space because it’s looking at a reserved "buffer" zone, even if your drive shows 50GB free.
- Account Desync: If you’re signed into the Store with one email and the Launcher with another, the DRM (Digital Rights Management) gets confused.
Forced Refresh Strategy
If you're stuck right now, try the "WSReset" command. Hit the Windows Key + R, type wsreset.exe, and hit Enter. A blank black window will pop up. Don't touch it. Just wait. After about thirty seconds, the Microsoft Store will pop open on its own. This clears the store’s temporary cache and forces it to re-examine all pending downloads.
It’s an old-school trick, but it’s remarkably effective for clearing the "waiting" status because it forces the store to realize that the files are, in fact, ready to be pulled down.
The Nuclear Option: Moving Away from the Store
If you are a Java Edition player and you are tired of Minecraft stuck on waiting on install, there is a way out. You don't have to use the modern Windows 10/11 launcher.
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Mojang still hosts the "Legacy" launcher on their website, often labeled as the Windows 7/8 version. Ironically, this version works perfectly on Windows 10 and 11. It doesn't rely on the Microsoft Store framework or the Gaming Services app. It’s a self-contained executable that just... works.
- Uninstall the current Minecraft Launcher.
- Go to the official Minecraft download page.
- Look for "Download for Windows 7/8" (even if you're on Windows 11).
- Install it and log in.
You'll lose the ability to launch Bedrock Edition from that specific launcher, but for Java players, it eliminates the "waiting on install" nightmare forever. It's a cleaner, lighter piece of software that avoids the entire UWP ecosystem.
Deep Dive into Registry and Permissions
Sometimes the problem is deeper. If you've moved your "Apps" install location to a secondary drive (like a D: or E: drive), Windows sometimes loses the permission to write to the WindowsApps folder. This folder is notoriously locked down.
If Minecraft is trying to install to a secondary drive and gets stuck, try moving the installation back to the C: drive temporarily. You can change this in Settings > System > Storage > Where new content is saved. If the install kicks off immediately after switching to the C: drive, you know your secondary drive has a permissions or formatting issue (it needs to be NTFS, not exFAT).
Advanced Troubleshooting for Persistent Hangs
When the basic stuff fails, you have to get a bit more aggressive. One overlooked fix involves the Windows Update Medic Service. If your Windows Updates are paused or broken, the Microsoft Store often refuses to initiate new installs. It’s a safety feature that ends up feeling like a bug.
Check your services by typing services.msc into your search bar. Scroll down to "Windows Update." If it’s disabled, right-click and start it. Do the same for "Background Intelligent Transfer Service" (BITS). These are the literal engines that move the bits of Minecraft from the internet to your hard drive.
Resetting the Xbox App
Since the Launcher is now deeply integrated with the Xbox App, a glitch there cascades down.
- Open Settings.
- Go to Apps > Installed Apps.
- Find the Xbox App.
- Click the three dots and select Advanced options.
- Hit Terminate, then Repair, then Reset.
This doesn't delete your games, but it does wipe the app's "brain," forcing it to re-verify who you are and what games you own. Frequently, this is exactly what's needed to kick the install out of its "waiting" coma.
The Role of Antivirus and Firewalls
We don't talk about it much anymore because Windows Defender is usually pretty chill, but third-party antivirus software like Avast, Norton, or McAfee can be incredibly aggressive. They see the Launcher trying to download and execute files in the background and they put a thumb on it.
Try disabling your "Real-time protection" for exactly sixty seconds. If the download starts, you've found your culprit. You’ll need to add an exception for the MinecraftLauncher.exe and the GamingServices.exe in your antivirus settings.
Summary of Actionable Steps
If you are currently staring at that "Waiting on Install" message, follow this specific order of operations. Don't skip the easy stuff—it's usually the easy stuff that fixes it.
First: The Soft Refresh
Log out of the Minecraft Launcher, log out of the Microsoft Store, and log out of the Xbox App. Restart your computer. Log back into the Store first, then the Xbox App, then the Launcher. This forces a fresh token exchange between all three services.
Second: The Service Kickstart
Use the wsreset.exe command as mentioned earlier. While that’s happening, ensure your Windows Time is synced to the millisecond. Go to Settings > Time & Language > Date & Time and click "Sync now."
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Third: Repair the Infrastructure
Repair and Reset "Gaming Services" and the "Xbox App" via the Windows App settings. This is the most common fix for people whose download is stuck at 0% or "Waiting."
Fourth: The Legacy Pivot
If you are playing Java Edition and the "modern" launcher is still giving you grief, abandon it. Download the Windows 7/8 version of the launcher. It avoids the Microsoft Store entirely and is far more stable for long-term play.
Fifth: Network Reset
If all else fails, open a Command Prompt as Administrator and type netsh winsock reset. Restart your PC. This resets the way your computer handles network connections at a low level, which can clear out "stuck" data packets that are preventing the download handshake.
Dealing with Minecraft stuck on waiting on install is a rite of passage for modern PC gamers. It’s a byproduct of a complex ecosystem that is trying to do too many things at once. By systematically checking the "handshake" between the Store, the Xbox App, and your OS services, you can almost always force the game to behave. Once the download finally starts, stay off the "Pause" button—let it finish completely to avoid corrupting the local manifest again.