'This App Can't Run on Your PC' Error: How to Fix It

1Start with the basics of the file and the shortcut

Before digging into architecture and policies, rule out the trivial causes. A good share of cases are a broken shortcut or a file that was still downloading, and both are settled in under a minute.

1. If you clicked a shortcut, right-click it, open Properties and check the Target field. If the path points to a folder or a USB stick that is no longer there, the shortcut is broken: delete it and make a new one from the real program.
2. Find the original executable in the program's folder and try opening it directly.
3. Check the size of the downloaded file. An installer of a few kilobytes when it should be tens or hundreds of megabytes is an interrupted download.
4. Restart the computer and try again before changing settings. A pending update may be holding on to system files.
5. Right-click the file, open Properties and, if an Unblock box appears at the bottom of the General tab, tick it and apply. Windows marks files that came from the internet and sometimes stops them running because of it.

2Check the architecture: 32-bit or 64-bit

This is the most common cause of the message and the one most people overlook. A 64-bit Windows runs both 32-bit and 64-bit programs, but a 32-bit Windows runs nothing 64-bit, and no setting changes that. Very old 16-bit installers also will not work on 64-bit Windows.

1. Open Settings > System > About and read System type. It tells you whether Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit and whether the processor supports 64-bit.
2. Go back to the program's site and look for the matching version. Many sites offer both files, labelled x86 (32-bit) and x64 (64-bit).
3. If your Windows is 32-bit, download the x86 version. It works on both types of system, so it is the safe choice when you are unsure.
4. If the program only exists in 64-bit and your Windows is 32-bit, there is no fix on the software side: it would mean reinstalling Windows as 64-bit, which requires a compatible processor and wiping the disk.
5. A very old program with a 16-bit installer will not run on 64-bit Windows at all. In that case, look for a newer version of the program or a replacement.

3Download the file again, straight from the official source

An interrupted download is the second most common cause and is easy to mistake for incompatibility, because Windows shows the same message. Downloading again from a trustworthy place rules it out in a few minutes.

1. Delete the previous file so you do not confuse the versions.
2. Download straight from the software maker's site, never from a site that merely bundles installers. Third-party files often come altered and are behind a good share of these errors.
3. Empty the browser's downloads folder or download to a different folder, to be sure the file is new.
4. If the site states it, compare the size of the downloaded file against the size shown on the page.
5. Temporarily pause any download manager or extension that interferes with the browser: some cut the file in half.
6. Try another browser too. A download that always stalls at the same point is usually a browser problem, not a server one.

4Run the program in compatibility mode

A program written for older Windows versions sometimes only needs the system to pretend it is that version. Compatibility mode does exactly that, and it solves a good share of cases where old software will not open.

1. Right-click the executable or the installer and open Properties.
2. Go to the Compatibility tab.
3. Tick the option to run the program in compatibility mode and pick an earlier Windows version from the list.
4. Also tick the option to run as administrator, which many old programs require.
5. Apply, close and try opening it again. If it does not work, go back and try another version from the list, starting with the ones closest to the current one.
6. If the Compatibility tab offers a troubleshooter, use it: it tries combinations by itself and applies whichever works.

5Check whether Windows protection is blocking it

Protection against unrecognised apps and files stops executables it does not know, and the warning it shows looks a lot like the generic error. It is worth checking before concluding the program is incompatible.

1. Open Windows Security from the Start menu and go to App and browser control.
2. Go into the reputation-based protection settings and see whether app and file checking is set to block.
3. If the on-screen warning offers the option to run anyway (usually hidden behind a more info link), use it only when you are sure of the file's origin.
4. Also check the protection history, on the same Windows Security screen, to see whether the file was quarantined.
5. If you use a third-party antivirus, check its quarantine too: many remove the file without saying so clearly.
6. Warning: do not disable protection to run a file of unknown origin. If the program is legitimate, download it from the official site (Solution 3) and the block usually disappears.

6Check whether an app policy is blocking it

On a work, school or restricted computer, the system may allow only approved programs, and this is exactly the message that appears. In that scenario there is no home fix, and pushing around it may breach the organisation's policy.

1. Suspect a policy when the message appears for every program you download, even well-known ones, and the computer was supplied by work or school.
2. Open Settings > Privacy and security > Windows Security and see whether any section is marked as managed by your organisation.
3. Also check under Settings > Apps > Apps and features whether an option limits where apps can be installed from. If it is restricted to the store and you have permission, change it to allow other sources.
4. If the computer is managed, talk to your company's or school's support team. Only an administrator can allow the program.
5. On a personal computer that someone else set up with security tweaks, it is worth checking whether there is an administrator account other than yours.

7Check system files and permissions

When the error starts appearing in programs that used to work, the problem is usually Windows itself rather than the application. Damaged system files and wrong permissions on the program folder produce exactly this symptom.

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator: right-click Start and choose the terminal or prompt as administrator option.
2. Run the lines below in order and wait for each to finish. The first one can take a while.
3. Restart the computer afterwards and test the program again.
4. If the error happens only in one folder, right-click it, open Properties > Security and check that your user has read and execute permission.
5. Programs installed inside system folders or at the root of the disk sometimes run into permission trouble. Reinstalling the program in the default location the installer suggests usually fixes it.

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8When nothing works: find the right version or a replacement

Some programs simply do not run on current Windows, and no amount of tweaking changes that. Recognising the point saves hours of wasted time and needless risk from dubious downloads.

1. Go back to the maker's site and look for the system requirements page. It states which Windows versions are supported.
2. Look for a newer version of the same program: plenty of old software has updated versions that run without trouble.
3. If the program was discontinued, look for a replacement that does the same job. Always download from the new program's official site.
4. Avoid sites offering modified versions, activators or repackaged installers of old programs. That is the main source of tampered files behind this error and, worse, of malicious software.
5. If the program is essential to your work and has no replacement, the usual answer is running it on a computer with a compatible Windows version, or asking the maker for an updated build.