Trying to download sea of thieves on pc

Hi there!

If you're having trouble downloading Sea of Thieves from the Windows 10 Store, there are a few things you can try: 

Reset the Windows Store

You can use the steps below to refresh the Store which will clear the cache and refresh your library and permissions. This fixes the majority of cases.

1. Close the Windows Store app if you have it open.
2. Click Start and type "wsreset", without quotes.
3. Right-Click on the command and click "Run as Administrator". If the Windows permission box appears, click "Yes" or "Run".
4. A black MS-Dos screen will appear for a few seconds. Wait for it to disappear and the Store will automatically open.
5. Attempt to install Sea of Thieves

Other possible solutions: 

#1 - Install to a different hard drive
1. When viewing the Sea of Thieves Windows Store page, click Install.
2. Once prompted to choose a storage location, choose another drive which is not your default drive. 

#2 - Perform a clean boot of windows (prevents any 3rd party apps from automatically booting stopping potential conflicts)
1. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/929135/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows
2. Attempt the download once more.  

#3 - Removing Windows Store local cache file
1. Download game and wait for it to error 
2. REPLACE USER_NAME WITH YOUR LOCAL PC USERNAME
Go to C:\Users\User_name\AppData\Local\Packages \Microsoft.WindowsStore_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache 
and delete all the files in there 
3. Reboot your PC. 
4. Attempt the download once more. 

#4 - Reset the Installer
1. Bring up Task Manager (CTRL + SHIFT + ESCAPE)
2. Select the Services Tab
3. Find the Microsoft Store Installer
4. Right-click it and select Restart
5. Notification will appear to state Sea of Thieves is ready to play 

#5 - Using Powershell command to complete installation
1. Download the content from the store, to the point where it fails at 99% / Install phase
2. Open PowerShell and run this command:
Add-AppXPackage -RegisterByFamilyName -MainPackage Microsoft.SeaofThieves_8wekyb3d8bbwe
3. Click Retry in the store à This should now succeed

#6 - Disk clean up tool to remove any potential conflicts
1. https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/17421/windows-free-up-drive-space

#7 - Use the Windows Store Troubleshooting tool
1. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4027498/microsoft-store-fix-problems-with-apps 

#8 - Using powershell to solve the 0x80073CF9 error
1. Open PowerShell and run this command: fsutil behavior set DisableEncryption 0
2. Restart your PC
3. Attempt to download Sea of Thieves once again.

Check for Updates to Windows 10

Always ensure that you have the latest updates to Windows 10 by clicking Start and typing "updates" in the search box. Once you've updated, perform a complete shutdown and restart of your machine. 

Check the Time/Date on your PC is correct

If your PC's clock is out of sync with the rest of the world, it can cause an error. The best thing is to right-click the Clock on your Desktop and select "Adjust date/time". A new screen will appear with the option to set the time and timezones automatically. It's best to turn them both on and restart your machine if needed. 

Get Support from Microsoft

The Sea of Thieves team has very limited access to the Store, and can only provide support in line with the steps above. If you're still struggling with the Store, visit the team at support.microsoft.com who can run through in-depth troubleshooting with you directly.