HP Smart app not loading but loads fine under another profile on same computer.

[99problemsprint]

I have an Acer Spin 5 with Windows 11 pro.  When I try to open the HP Smart app under my user profile, the app will not run.  It just spins and either hangs up or throws error.  I tried everything mentioned in the many different articles about this same issue as outlined below.

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🧰 Troubleshooting Steps Attempted

• Checked for updates to HP Smart, Windows 11, printer drivers, and printer firmware... no luck.
• Attempted a full app repair, reset, uninstall, re-install multiple times via the Start menu > App settings.
• Reopened HP Smart and reached the Welcome screen—now hitting error code OW_500_OWSID00001.
• Disabled, uninstalled, and removed potential VPN services in Task Manager.
• Again, Used Settings > Apps > Installed apps > HP Smart > Advanced Options to:
  • Run Repair and Reset and uninstall/re-install/restart
• Signed out and back into the Microsoft Store, and checked for updates again... no luck still.
• Inspected Proxy settings—no issues or unusual configs found.
• Uninstalled all prior HP printer related drivers at all levels i could think of going as far as windows+r and printui.exe /s.  Then restarted computer repaired, reset, uninstalled, restarted, re-installed (aka RRURR). No luck. (note, this RRURR process was performed at each test in the process).
• "Repaired" Windows 11.  No luck. 
• FINALLY:  Verified that the app works under a different Windows user profile
• Went back to the original profile where it was not working had ChatGPT walk me through other options like:
  • Checked for corrupted app data in AppData\Local\Packages (specific folder wasn’t found).
  • Cleared temporary files via temp and %temp% folders.
  • Ran network cleanup commands in Command Prompt:
    • ipconfig /flushdns
    • netsh winsock reset
    • netsh int ip reset
  • A few other tests I likely forgot.

NOTE:  This post is NOT about connecting to the printer which is why it is not mentioned.  I can use basic Windows functionality and/or older driver and software from HP to do that.  I just appreciated some of the more unique features of the HP Smart app.

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @99problemsprint 

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for laying out everything so clearly—and I’m really sorry you’ve had to go through such an exhaustive troubleshooting marathon. You’ve clearly done your homework, and I totally understand how frustrating it is when an app works perfectly under one profile but refuses to cooperate under another.

Since the HP Smart app runs fine under a different Windows profile, that strongly suggests the issue is tied to something within your original user profile’s environment—likely corrupted app data or a permissions conflict.

Here’s a fresh set of steps you can try to isolate and resolve the issue:

🧩 Steps to Fix HP Smart App Loading Issue (Profile-Specific)

Create a New Local Profile Temporarily

• If the alternate profile is a Microsoft account, try creating a new local user account and test HP Smart there.
• This helps confirm whether the issue is tied to Microsoft account syncing or profile-specific registry entries.

Manually Remove HP Smart App Data

• Navigate to:
  C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Local\Packages\AD2F1837.HPPrinterControl_qncfnffj4jdzg
• If the folder exists, delete it completely. If it doesn’t, try searching for HPPrinterControl in AppData\Local\Packages and remove any related folders.
• Then reinstall HP Smart from the Microsoft Store.

Reset Microsoft Store Cache

• Run wsreset.exe from the Start menu. This clears the Store cache and may help with app reinstallation issues.

Try HP Smart Web Version

• As a workaround, you can use the HP Smart web portal which offers many of the same features without relying on the desktop app.

Use Windows PowerShell to Reinstall

• Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:
  Get-AppxPackage -Name "AD2F1837.HPPrinterControl" | Remove-AppxPackage
• Then reinstall HP Smart from the Microsoft Store.

You’ve already done a ton, and I really admire your persistence. If you’d like, I can help walk through any of these steps with you. 

Let’s get this app behaving again so you can enjoy all its features without the drama! 😄

If my response helped, please mark it as an Accepted Solution! ✅ It helps others and spreads support. 💙 Also, tapping "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" makes a big difference! Thanks! 😊

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye