Cannot activate Recipe Keeper

Question

Cannot activate Recipe Keeper

asdfsdfsfwsdfcsdf 16

I installed Recipe Keeper on my computer. This application requires payment to store more than 20 recipes.

When I hit the limit and clicked New Recipe, it opened a message box which prompted me to pay the license fee. I clicked Continue, and it opened another message box that showed the price, a link to "Confirm your billing address," and a Continue button.

I clicked the link and got a third box which displayed my correct billing address. I clicked the Back button. It returned to the second message box.

I clicked Continue. It redisplayed the third message box.

I am now caught in a loop--I can go back and forth between the second message box and the third one, but there is no way to complete the purchase.

What should I do?

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Answer 1

Devout Skeptic 0

This is the original poster returning with a further issue. For some reason the web site required me to "complete registration," allowing me to define a real user name, although it never gave me a chance to do that before.

(When I logged in, the site told me that my account was blocked due to activity that violated a user agreement or something like that. It forced me to enter the same captcha twice to unblock me. I am concerned about this; the unauthorized activity definitely wasn't mine.)

Now, on to the further issue. I contacted Recipe Keeper to request assistance with the problem. They never replied. Shame on them; I can't use their app if I can't buy it, and if this is the level of user support they offer, I wouldn't want to. I'd be interested in pursuing a complaint against them as a Microsoft Store seller, if such a thing is possible.

However, today I'm trying to buy another app (Lifetime.AnyScan.IAP, a/k/a Doc Scan PDF Scanner), and the same darned thing is happening. The "buy" dialog has a Next button which opens a second dialog to confirm my address, and the second dialog has a Back button that returns to the first dialog, and there's no way to break out of the loop.

So the same problem appears when I try to buy two apps from two completely different sellers. This is not a problem with the seller's software. Can Microsoft help me fix it? No one else is going to.

Vikki-T 10,575 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-17T07:47:31.99+00:00
Hi Devout Skeptic,

Thank you for clarifying that you are the original poster. The registration and CAPTCHA issue appears to relate to your forum account, so I will keep that separate from the purchasing problem.

The new information changes the direction of the troubleshooting. Since the same checkout loop occurs with two apps from different publishers, please contact Microsoft Support so the appropriate team can securely review the Store purchase and account information. When the Support Assistant appears, enter “I need to speak with a live support agent about a Microsoft Store purchase” and explain that:

The same billing-address confirmation loop occurs with two apps from different publishers.

Selecting Next opens the address confirmation window.

Selecting Back returns to the first window, with no option to complete the purchase.

No error code is displayed.

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum, so contributors and moderators cannot access billing records, purchase sessions, or backend account information. Microsoft Support is the appropriate channel for further investigation. Thank you so much for your cooperation.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Answer 2

Vikki-T 10,575 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi asdfsdfsfwsdfcsdf,

I understand how frustrating it is to be repeatedly sent between the billing address and purchase screens without being able to complete the activation.

To narrow this down, could you please confirm:

Did you install Recipe Keeper directly from the Microsoft Store?
Do you see any error message or code during the purchase process?
Is the country or region set in Windows the same as the country or region of your Microsoft account and billing address?
Are you able to purchase other apps or in-app content from the Microsoft Store?

In the meantime, please try the following:

Close Recipe Keeper and the Microsoft Store completely, then restart your computer.
Open Microsoft Store, sign out of your account, and then sign back in with the Microsoft account you want to use for the purchase.
Go to Microsoft Store > Library > Get updates and install any available updates for both Microsoft Store and Recipe Keeper.
Press Windows key + R, enter wsreset.exe, and select OK. Wait for Microsoft Store to reopen, then try the purchase again.
Check your payment method on the Microsoft account Payment options page and make sure the card details and billing address are current.
In Windows 11, open Settings > Time & language > Language & region and verify that Country or region matches your billing information.

You can also review Microsoft’s guidance for troubleshooting buying issues with Microsoft Store and fixing problems with Microsoft Store apps.

Please note that Recipe Keeper is a third-party application. If other Microsoft Store purchases work normally and the loop occurs only in Recipe Keeper, the issue may be with the app’s in-app purchase process. In that case, please contact the Recipe Keeper developer through the support information listed on the app’s Microsoft Store page.

If the same issue affects other Microsoft Store purchases, please contact Microsoft Support so the support team can check the account and billing transaction securely. Thank you so much for your understanding.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

asdfsdfsfwsdfcsdf 16 Reputation points

2026-09-03T15:46:46.57+00:00
Thank you for your quick response. Here is my experience.

Did I install Recipe Keeper directly from the Microsoft Store? I don't remember. I think I installed it from a link on the Recipe Keeper web site, but that site may have directed me to the store.

Do you see any error message or code during the purchase process? No.

Is the country or region set in Windows the same as the country or region of your Microsoft account and billing address? I have no idea. In Windows it is set to United States. My billing address does not specify a country, so I assume it defaults to U.S. Google describes two ways to determine my Microsoft account's country of origin. One is through the Microsoft account itself, which shows my account as U.S. The other is through the Windows Settings Accounts tab, which refers to my late wife's email address and thus, presumably, her account. I assume that account also specifies U.S., but I cannot verify that because I don't know her password and her email account, where Store would send a message if I tried to reset the password, has long been closed.

Are you able to purchase other apps or in-app content from the Microsoft Store? I have never tried, and am not going to try now because I have no interest in buying other apps or content.

I tried to follow your "In the meantime" instructions, but was blocked at the third step, where I am instructed to go to Microsoft Store > Library > Get updates. I can't find "library." There is no reference to "Library" on the home page, and I see no icon that appears to possibly represent "Library." I clicked the Search button and searched for "Library" and got a host of listings for different kinds of library, but I have no clue which one of them, if any, you were referring to. I searched for "Update Library" and got a different more specific list, but subject to the same problem.

I will try again when you advise me how to get past this problem.

This whole process is far too complex, with too many potential points of failure. Doesn't Microsoft offer a simpler way to pay to give it money?
Vikki-T 10,575 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-04T10:03:56.62+00:00
Hi asdfsdfsfwsdfcsdf,

Thank you for the detailed update. I understand why this feels much more complicated than it should, and you do not need to purchase another app just to test the Store.

Before trying the payment again, please open Microsoft Store and select the profile icon in the upper-right corner. Confirm that the Store is signed in with your own Microsoft account rather than another account. There is no need to share the email address publicly.

The Library option cannot be found through the Store’s Search box. Please maximize the Microsoft Store window and check the left navigation pane or lower-left corner for the Library icon.

If it is still not visible, you can skip that step and repair the apps instead:

Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.

Find Microsoft Store, select the three dots, and choose Advanced options > Repair.

Do the same for Recipe Keeper, restart the computer, and try again.

If the Store is signed in with your own account but the billing loop continues only in Recipe Keeper, please contact the Recipe Keeper developer through the support details on its Microsoft Store page. As Recipe Keeper is a third-party application, its developer may need to investigate the in-app purchase flow. Thank you so much for your cooperation.
asdfsdfsfwsdfcsdf 16 Reputation points

2026-09-04T14:32:41.5033333+00:00

Before trying the payment again, please open Microsoft Store and select...

I tried to confirm that I am logged in with my own account. On a normal web site, clicking the "sign in" button or icon would open a box that prompts me to enter my username and password. After that the button would show my name or open a menu of actions available to a signed-in user, one of which would show my account status, including my name. When I clicked the sign-in icon of the Microsoft Store it displayed a box too briefly for me to read the contents, then changed the appearance of the icon. I infer that to mean "I signed you in to the same account as last time." Clicking the icon again just displays the box (briefly), this time empty.

I could find anything in the page heading that would tell me what user is signed in (or would let me change anything in my account, if it was my account). There was no "profile icon" that I could identify, just "Multi-App Install" and "Sign-in button." The sign-in button didn't do it. The About menu item at the top of the page just displayed a promo for the Microsoft Store app, and none of the other "menu items" (Home, Apps, Games, and Themes) would do it unless they're misleadingly labeled.

After I had given up on my account and moved on to the next step, I stumbled across a Microsoft Account link at the bottom of the page. It took so long to load that I thought it was broken and left the tab it opened in, but when I returned to the tab later it was populated, and showed my account.

The Microsoft Store continues to defy my expectations of how a normal web site works. Please do not dismiss my complaints with "I understand...," which is dismissive and condescending, and implies that my criticisms are wasted. This site was designed by someone who had no understanding of usability (or by a committee of them). It needs drastic redesign.

Please maximize the Microsoft Store window and check the left navigation pane or lower-left corner for the Library icon.

I maximized the window. There was no "left navigation pane," in the lower left corner, only a dropdown for choosing language and a Your privacy choices toggle. The lower right corner contained only a button named "Open Store App." Nor is "Library" in the group of links at the bottom of the page (It was at this point that I spotted the "Microsoft Account" link there.)

If it is still not visible, you can skip that step and repair the apps instead:

I could find "Microsoft Store" in Settings>Apps or in Settings>Apps>Apps for websites. That seems natural to me, since I am using the web site, and have never installed the Microsoft Store app. Are you simply assuming that I am using the app? That would explain the disconnect between your instructions and what I see.

(The practice of having a separate app for each service I use makes sense on the limited screen of a phone, but on a computer it just adds complexity and inconsistency to the user experience. I will not install one of these apps unless I am forced to. I will install the Microsoft Store app if you force me to.)

I applied the Repair option to Recipe Keeper, rebooted, and tried to purchase it again. It still did not work.If the Store is signed in with your own account but the billing loop continues only in Recipe Keeper, please contact the Recipe Keeper developer...

I have already done that, and am waiting for a reply.

Thank you for your attempts to help. Please reply again if you think you can offer anything more.
Vikki-T 10,575 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-05T08:44:40.8833333+00:00

Hi asdfsdfsfwsdfcsdf,

You are correct. My previous instructions assumed that you were using the Microsoft Store app, while you were actually using the Microsoft Store website. That is why you could not find Library, the Store profile menu, or Microsoft Store under Settings > Apps. I apologize for giving you instructions that did not match what was on your screen.

Library and Get updates are features of the Microsoft Store app, not the Store website. The Open Store App button you saw is intended to open that app. However, you do not need to install or use the Store app solely to repeat the same troubleshooting, and I will not ask you to look for Library again.

Since you have confirmed your Microsoft account, repaired Recipe Keeper, restarted the computer, and reproduced the same purchase loop, you have already completed the relevant steps available from the Windows side. You have also taken the appropriate next step by contacting the Recipe Keeper developer, as the problem occurs within its purchase process.

If the developer confirms that the issue is with Microsoft’s billing system rather than Recipe Keeper, you can then contact Microsoft Support and provide the developer’s findings so that the billing side can be investigated.

Thank you for pointing out the difference between the website and the app. That clarification was important, and I appreciate the detailed information you provided.