I can't open powertoys settings by double clicking #50335

Activity

1. Septemberlemon

   added

   Issue-BugSomething isn't workingSomething isn't working

   Needs-TriageFor issues raised to be triaged and prioritized by internal Microsoft teamsFor issues raised to be triaged and prioritized by internal Microsoft teams

   on Sep 2, 2026
2. github-actions commented on Sep 2, 2026

   

   github-actionsBot

   on Sep 2, 2026 – with GitHub Actions

   More actions

   🧭 Triage summary

   🛠️ For the PowerToys team

   🧩 Settings · 🐞 Bug · 📦 PowerToys 0.101.2432.0-x64

   User cannot open PowerToys Settings window on Windows 10 by double-clicking the icon, though the same action works on Windows 11; reproduction steps are provided.

   🧪 Investigation details

   • Reproduction: ✅ Sufficient
   • Bug report: ℹ️ Not attached; optional for this clear UI/visual report.

   AI-assisted automated triage; PowerToys maintainers make final decisions.
3. github-actions

   added

   Product-SettingsThe standalone PowerToys Settings applicationThe standalone PowerToys Settings application

   on Sep 2, 2026
4. Septemberlemon commented on Sep 2, 2026

   

   Septemberlemon

   on Sep 2, 2026

   Author

   More actions

   I've report this one year ago, now it's still exist
   that's makes me so sad
5. Septemberlemon commented on Sep 3, 2026

   

   Septemberlemon

   on Sep 3, 2026

   Author

   More actions

   After suffering from this issue for over a year, I finally dug into the bottom of this bug using ProcMon, Event Viewer, and .NET CoreHost Tracing. I'm sharing the root cause and the exact workaround here to help anyone who is experiencing the same frustration.
   The Symptom
   Double-clicking the tray icon does nothing.
   Event Viewer shows an Application Error for PowerToys.Settings.exe with Exception Code 0x80131506 (COR_E_EXECUTIONENGINE) in KERNELBASE.dll.
   The crash happens instantly upon execution. No PowerToys logs are generated because the app dies before hitting the actual code.
   The Root Cause (A System-Level Chain Reaction)
   This is NOT a bug in PowerToys' source code itself, but a fatal crash inside the .NET runtime caused by a compatibility issue with CET (Control-flow Enforcement Technology / Hardware-enforced Stack Protection).
   It occurs when the following three conditions are met:
   You have a relatively modern CPU that supports CET at the hardware level (e.g., Intel 11th/12th Gen and newer).
   You are running a newer version of .NET (which PowerToys UI uses) that enables CET by default.
   Crucially: You are on an older build/patch of Windows 10 (e.g., missing specific Windows Updates from late 2023 onwards). There is a known bug in older Windows 10 kernels regarding CET handling, which causes the .NET engine (coreclr.dll) to instantly crash when it tries to initialize.
   The Solution
   You have two ways to fix this permanently:
   👉 Workaround A: Disable CET for PowerToys Settings (No Windows Update required)
   Open Windows Start menu and search for Windows Security.
   Go to App & browser control -> Exploit protection settings.
   Switch to the Program settings tab at the top.
   Click Add program to customize -> Choose exact file path.
   Browse and select your PowerToys.Settings.exe (Usually located in C:\Program Files\PowerToys\Settings\PowerToys.Settings.exe or %localappdata%\PowerToys\WinUI3Apps\PowerToys.Settings.exe).
   Scroll down the list to find Hardware-enforced Stack Protection.
   Check Override system settings and toggle it to Off.
   Apply the changes. PowerToys Settings will now open instantly!
   👉 Workaround B: Update Windows
   Go to Windows Settings and fully update your Windows 10 with the latest Cumulative Updates. Microsoft has patched this CET handling bug in newer OS builds.
   (I hope this saves someone's day!)
6. ja1den commented on Sep 5, 2026

   

   Jaiden Douglas (ja1den)

   on Sep 5, 2026

   Last edited by ja1den

   More actions

   Septemberlemon Workaround A works for me. Thank you so much! (Definitely saved my day!) :)

   My setup meets all three of your listed conditions, and I was observing the same symptoms.

   I found that it's also necessary to add an exploit protection override for some of the other PowerToys .exes as well. For example, I had to add one for %LocalAppData%\PowerToys\PowerToys.FancyZonesEditor.exe, which showed up in Event Viewer in the same way. Note that some of the other .exes are not located in %LocalAppData%\PowerToys\WinUI3Apps, but rather just in %LocalAppData%\PowerToys.

   Thanks again!
7. ssssamstrup commented on Sep 28, 2026

   

   ssssamstrup

   on Sep 28, 2026

   More actions

   Thank you Septemberlemon and good work researching the issue. I'll reference your solution if the issue shows it's head again in the future.
8. FaustXL commented on Oct 14, 2026

   

   FaustXL

   on Oct 14, 2026

   More actions

   Adding another affected machine — same crash signature on 0.101.2712 (newer build than the OP's 2432), with data points that may help narrow down the root cause.

   Environment

   PowerToys	0.101.2712.0, per-user MSI (PowerToysUserSetup-0.101.2712.0-x64.exe), auto-update enabled
   Windows	Windows 10 21H2 (build 19044), servicing level .1741 (KERNELBASE.dll 10.0.19041.1741); Get-HotFix shows no update installed after 2023-11
   CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 5800H (Zen 3)
   RAM	15.9 GB
   .NET	Bundled self-contained runtime: .NET 10.0.11 (CoreCLR 10.0.1126.37416)

   Timeline

   • Previous PowerToys version (installed 2026-07-16) ran fine — no PowerToys crash events (Event ID 1000) recorded in the Application log before 2026-10-06.
   • 2026-10-06 14:53 — PowerToys auto-updated to 0.101.2712.0.
   • 2026-10-06 14:54:52 — first PowerToys.Settings.exe crash, minutes after the update finished. Ever since, every PowerToys launch crashes all .NET-based modules instantly.

   Symptoms

   • Settings never opens: PowerToys.Settings.exe dies within seconds of launch (reproduced manually — started the exe directly, process gone in < 5 s, same events logged).
   • Crashing with Event ID 1000 + 1023, exception code 0x80131506: PowerToys.Settings.exe, PowerToys.Peek.UI.exe, PowerToys.ColorPickerUI.exe, PowerToys.PowerOCR.exe, PowerToys.ShortcutGuide.exe, PowerToys.QuickAccess.exe (all in WinUI3Apps) and PowerToys.Awake.exe (root folder, WPF).
   • Still working: the runner, native modules (FancyZones, AlwaysOnTop, CropAndLock) and WPF PowerLauncher (PowerToys Run).
   • Crash counts per module, 2026-10-07 → 10-14 (Event 1000): ShortcutGuide ×16, Peek.UI ×12, QuickAccess ×7, Awake ×7, ColorPickerUI ×7, PowerOCR ×1. 75 PowerToys crash events in the current log retention — all after the 10-06 update, all v0.101.2712.0.

   Log excerpts

   Event ID 1023 (.NET Runtime):

   Application: PowerToys.ShortcutGuide.exe
   CoreCLR Version: 10.0.1126.37416
   .NET Version: 10.0.11
   Description: The process was terminated due to an internal error in the .NET Runtime
   at IP 0x00007FFE9E618EA5 (0x00007FFE9E500000) with exit code 0x80131506.
   

   Event ID 1000 (WER, localized Chinese Windows):

   错误应用程序名称: PowerToys.ShortcutGuide.exe，版本: 0.101.2712.0
   错误模块名称: KERNELBASE.dll，版本: 10.0.19041.1741
   异常代码: 0x80131506
   错误偏移量: 0x000000000010fa32
   错误应用程序路径: C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\PowerToys\WinUI3Apps\PowerToys.ShortcutGuide.exe
   

   The faulting offset is deterministic (same KERNELBASE offset on every crash of a given module), which points to a deterministic software cause rather than flaky hardware.

   Ruled out on this machine

   • No third-party DLL injection — minidump module lists (%LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumps) contain only OS DLLs plus the bundled CoreCLR (coreclr.dll, hostfxr.dll, hostpolicy.dll, clrjit.dll); no AV / input-method / overlay hooks.
   • Exploit Protection at defaults — Get-ProcessMitigation -System shows Mandatory ASLR / CFG / everything NOTSET; no per-image IFEO overrides exist for any PowerToys*.exe.

   Data point regarding the CET / shadow-stack theory

   This CPU is Zen 3, which has no hardware shadow stack (CET) support — AMD only added CET with Zen 4 (Ryzen 7000). With all mitigations at defaults, hardware-enforced stack protection should not be active here, yet the crash signature is identical to the reports above: instant 0x80131506 in CoreCLR 10.0.11 on an older, unpatched Windows 10 19044 install. So at least on this machine the trigger appears to be the new .NET 10.0.x runtime on old Win10 itself, independent of CET hardware.

   Happy to test any build or workaround and report back.