Error 0x80073CFA: Can’t Uninstall Apps using Remove-AppxPackage in Windows 10

Starting from Windows 10 1703 (Creators Update), several new built-in universal apps appeared in the system and you cannot remove them using the standard procedure. For example, when you try to remove the built-in universal apps using the Remove-AppxPackage cmdlet, the following error appears: “HRESULT 0x80073CFA Removal failed”. In this article, we’ll consider a trick that allows to force remove any built-in app in Windows 10.

Suppose you have an error when trying to remove the built-in universal application:

To remove the Windows 10 application, you will need two free tools:

• Psexec by Sysinternals;
• DB Browser for SQLite.

1. Download pstools.zip, unpack it to the C:\PS folder and then install (or download a portable version) DB Browser for SQLite;
2. Using psexec, run the interactive command prompt under the Local System: psexec.exe -i -s -d cmd.exe
3. In the next window run on behalf of the SYSTEM the executable file C:\Program Files\DB Browser for SQLite\DB Browser for SQLite.exe or SQLiteDatabaseBrowserPortable.exe;
4. Then click Open Database in DB Browser window and open the following file: %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\AppRepository\StateRepository-Machine.srd;
   
5. Go to the Browse Data tab and select the Package table;
6. Now find the name of the app you want to remove in the PackageFullName column. (In our example it is Microsoft.XboxGameCallableUI_c5as4n4uizeyw.) Change the value in the IsInbox column from 1 to 0 for this app;
7. Save the changes using File->Write changes (or press CTRL+S);
8. Then try to remove the app from PowerShell:

Remove-AppxPackage Microsoft.XboxGameCallableUI_1000.16299.15.0_neutral_neutral_c5as4n4uizeyw
It should be removed without any errors or warnings.

Having searched the web, I found that the IsInbox flag for built-in apps had appeared in the local system base for Windows apps since Windows 10 Anniversary update (1607). When trying to remove a built-in app with the IsInbox flag enabled, the error 0x80073CFA appears.