How do I know if I have fix error 0x80040154 — class not registered (com error) issues?

Common symptoms of fix error 0x80040154 — class not registered (com error) include: "Class not registered" error when opening apps or browser, Error 0x80040154 when launching Windows features like Photos or Settings, File Explorer crashes with "Class not registered" message, Microsoft Store apps show this error on launch, Edge or Chrome showing "Class not registered" on startup, Right-click context menu items showing this error.

Fix Fix Error 0x80040154 — Class Not Registered (COM

Symptoms

You might be experiencing this problem if you notice:

•"Class not registered" error when opening apps or browser
•Error 0x80040154 when launching Windows features like Photos or Settings
•File Explorer crashes with "Class not registered" message
•Microsoft Store apps show this error on launch
•Edge or Chrome showing "Class not registered" on startup
•Right-click context menu items showing this error

Common Causes

⚠COM component DLL not registered or registration corrupted
⚠Microsoft Store app packages damaged
⚠Default browser registration broken
⚠Windows system component DLLs unregistered after update
⚠Third-party software uninstall left orphaned COM references
⚠32-bit/64-bit DLL registration mismatch

Solutions

Solution 1: Re-Register COM Components

1CMD as Admin:
2For a specific DLL: regsvr32 "path\to\file.dll"
3Re-register all system DLLs (may take a few minutes):
4for %i in (%systemroot%\system32\*.dll) do regsvr32.exe /s %i
5For 64-bit system, also: for %i in (%systemroot%\SysWOW64\*.dll) do regsvr32.exe /s %i
6Restart PC after re-registration
7Note: some DLLs will show errors — this is normal, only non-COM DLLs fail

Solution 2: Fix Browser "Class Not Registered"

1If Edge or Chrome shows this error:
2Settings → Apps → Default apps → set your browser as default for all protocols
3For Edge specifically: reset Edge:
4Settings → Apps → Microsoft Edge → Advanced options → Repair
5For Chrome: reinstall Chrome (uninstall → download fresh → install)
6If error is from Explorer launching a browser: re-register URL handlers:
7Settings → Apps → Default apps → choose defaults by protocol
8Set HTTP and HTTPS to your preferred browser

Solution 3: Repair System Components

1If multiple apps show "Class not registered":
2CMD as Admin: sfc /scannow
3Then: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
4Re-register all Store apps:
5PowerShell as Admin: Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppxManifest.xml"}
6This re-registers every UWP/Store app — fixes most COM issues
7Restart PC after completion

FIXES THIS IN 5 MINUTES