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MTA:SA setup

Windows in S mode will not let me install MTA or GTA San Andreas

Windows 10 or 11 in S mode only runs apps from the Microsoft Store, so it will not run the MTA installer. Switch out of S mode in Settings, Activation: it is free, but you cannot turn S mode back on.

Steps

  1. Check that S mode is the cause

    In S mode, Windows only runs apps from the Microsoft Store. MTA's manual says to download MTA from multitheftauto.com, and that is not the Microsoft Store. If you open an app that is not from the Store, Windows shows a reminder that the app is not an option. If you see this reminder when you open the MTA installer or your game, use the steps below.

    Source: Microsoft, MTA wiki

  2. Windows 11: open Activation and select Go to the Store

    Only if your PC runs Windows 11 in S mode.

    Open Settings, then System, then Activation. Find the part called Switch to Windows 11 Pro. Select the Go to the Store link in it.

    Careful: Do not select the link under Upgrade your edition of Windows. Microsoft says that is a different process, and it keeps you in S mode.

    Source: Microsoft

  3. Windows 10: open Activation and select Go to the Store

    Only if your PC runs Windows 10 in S mode.

    Open Settings, then Update & Security, then Activation. Find the part called Switch to Windows 10 Home or Switch to Windows 10 Pro. Select the Go to the Store link in it.

    Careful: Do not select the link under Upgrade your edition of Windows. Microsoft says that is a different process, and it keeps you in S mode.

    Source: Microsoft

  4. Select Get and confirm

    A Microsoft Store page opens. It is called Switch out of S mode, or something similar. Select the Get button there and confirm. After that you can install apps from outside the Microsoft Store.

    Careful: Switching out of S mode costs nothing, but it is one-way. You cannot turn S mode back on.

    Source: Microsoft, Microsoft

  5. Install MTA from its official site

    Download the MTA client from the download page at multitheftauto.com and install it. Do not buy GTA San Andreas from the Windows App Store to get around S mode: MTA's wiki says that version will never work with MTA.

    Which GTA San Andreas works with MTA (Steam, Rockstar Store, Definitive Edition) →

    Source: MTA wiki, MTA wiki

See also: Which GTA San Andreas works with MTA (Steam, Rockstar Store, Definitive Edition), MTA on Windows 7, 8, XP or Vista

Worth knowing

Some PCs come from the maker with Windows 11 Home in S mode, or Windows 10 in S mode, already on them.

To install an app that is not in the Microsoft Store, you must switch out of S mode, and the switch is permanent.

If Windows does not let you switch and the PC belongs to an organization, ask that organization's administrator. An organization can choose to keep all its devices in S mode.

MTA's wiki describes the Windows App Store GTA San Andreas as a mobile/Xbox remaster ported to PC. The fix for which GTA version works lists the copies that do work.

The MTA wiki pages were read from a saved copy of 3 October 2026.

Still not fixed? Copy the whole message, not only the code, and check your log in the Fix tool. It is read on your own computer.

Other problems like this

All fix guides · Every MTA:SA error code · Crash codes and offsets

Where this comes from

Microsoft Support and the MTA wiki (saved copy of 3 October 2026)

Read on 23 October 2026 and written in our own words here.