Windows Store apps work differently from traditional desktop software. Here is how to block one without catching every other Store app along with it.
Why the process name does not work
Most Store apps are displayed by a shared Windows system process, ApplicationFrameHost.exe, and some run under WWAHost.exe. Those processes belong to Windows, not to the app, so blocking them blocks every Store app at once, including Settings, Calculator and Photos.
If you add either process to a plan, FocusMe shows a Windows System Process warning explaining this, with Cancel and Add Anyway buttons. Choose Cancel and use one of the approaches below instead.
Recommended: pick it from Open Windows
- Open the Store app you want to block
- In the plan, on What to block, switch to the Applications tab and click Pick from installed apps…
- Open the Open Windows tab, tick the app’s window and click Done
The entry is added with the app’s own identity rather than the shared host process, so only that app is blocked.
Alternative: Application Name
If you know the app’s name, type it directly:
- On the Applications tab, type the app’s name (for example
TikTok) into the add row and click Add
- Click the row and set its type to Application Name with an Exact match
Application Name identifies a single Store app reliably, even though it shares its process with others.
Alternative: Window Title
For apps whose name is hard to pin down, match the window title instead:
- Add the text that appears in the app’s title bar
- Click the row and set its type to Window Title with a Contains match
Click
Helper in the sidebar while the app is open. It shows the exact
Application Name,
Window Title and other details for every open window, and
Add to plan… on any of them adds the value to your plan with the right type. See
Using the Helper Tool.
Some Store apps have their own process
Not every Store app uses the shared host. Check the Process Name in the Helper: if it is something other than ApplicationFrameHost.exe or WWAHost.exe, you can block it by Process Name like any desktop app.
Blocking every Store app
If you really do want every Store app blocked, add ApplicationFrameHost.exe and choose Add Anyway on the warning. Put the apps you still need, such as Calculator, on the plan’s Allowed list by Application Name.
Blocking ApplicationFrameHost.exe also blocks built-in Windows apps such as Settings. Only do this if you are sure you do not need them during the plan.
