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If Enhanced Speech Recognition (en-US) will not download on Windows 11 and shows error 0x80073D21, first check where Windows saves new apps. Set the destination to the system drive in Settings, then try the download again. This is a worthwhile troubleshooting check, not a confirmed fix for every speech-recognition failure.
What error 0x80073D21 means in this case
The reported message is: “Sorry, we’re having trouble installing this feature. You can try again later.” The affected item is Enhanced Speech Recognition for English (United States), which may fail to start downloading or remain at 0% before Windows reports the error.
In the original report, Basic Speech Recognition worked and Enhanced Speech Recognition for other English locales reportedly installed, while en-US did not. That makes the failure specific to the reported language feature; it does not establish a general microphone or speech-input problem. The available reports do not identify a definitive cause for this exact failure.
Check the destination for new app installs
A Microsoft External Staff moderator recommended checking the new-app destination when responding to a separate Microsoft Store installation case with the same error code. The speech-recognition thread also includes a community reply describing a similar problem that the poster attributed to apps being saved to another drive. These reports make the setting a sensible first check, but they do not prove it is the cause of every 0x80073D21 speech download failure.
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- Open Settings > System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Where new content is saved.
- Under New apps will save to, select the drive where Windows is installed, usually the system drive.
- Retry the Enhanced Speech Recognition (en-US) download.
The moderator noted that Windows can be installed on C: while the new-app setting points elsewhere, and that the Store uses this setting for app installs. The advice was given for a separate Store case, not as a confirmed remedy for this specific speech-recognition report.
Should you change the Windows display language?
An independent advisor in the original thread suggested making English (United States) the Windows display language, restarting, and then trying the feature again. The thread does not document a successful result from this suggestion, so treat it as an unverified option rather than an established fix.
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What the reports do—and do not—show
Error 0x80073D21 has appeared in reports about other Microsoft Store installations as well. One such report included a message directing the user to select the system drive. That pattern supports checking the app-install destination, but it does not demonstrate that all reports share the same root cause.
The original poster said they had already restarted several times, restarted Windows Update, BITS, ClipSVC, and related services, and cleared temporary files and speech folders without resolving the en-US failure. Those actions are not documented as successful fixes in that report. The cited discussions are user reports and forum replies, not controlled tests or a Microsoft product bulletin defining this error for Enhanced Speech Recognition. They do not establish the exact cause, affected Windows builds, or whether either suggested setting change resolves the issue for other users.
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Sources
- Original Enhanced Speech Recognition report and community replies
- Separate Microsoft Store installation discussion with moderator advice about the new-app destination
- Another Store installation report
- Additional Store installation report
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