PERSIST_E_NOTSELFSIZING 0X800B000B Fix Guide

You're working in Windows, maybe resizing a window in Microsoft Management Console or an older app, and then BOOM — you get PERSIST_E_NOTSELFSIZING (0X800B000B). The full message says: "This object does not read and write self-sizing data." It's frustrating because the window just won't remember where you left it.

I've seen this most often in Windows 10 and 11 after a big update (like 22H2), or when someone's been cleaning registry junk with a third-party tool. The core problem is almost always corrupted or missing registry entries that tell Windows how to save window positions.

Below are the three most common causes, starting with the one that fixes 80% of cases. Each includes a step-by-step fix.

Corrupted Registry Data for the Specific App

This is the big one. Windows stores window size and position data in the registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StreamMRU and per-app settings. When that data gets corrupted — often from a crash or bad shutdown — you get 0x800B000B.

What you'll see: The error appears only when closing a specific app (like Disk Management or an old Visual Studio version). Other apps work fine.

Fix:

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter. Click Yes if UAC asks.
2. Go to this path (copy-paste into the address bar at top):

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

3. Right-click the StreamMRU folder (key) on the left and choose Export. Save a backup somewhere safe like your desktop — name it StreamMRU-backup.reg. This lets you undo if something goes wrong.
4. Now right-click StreamMRU again and select Delete. Confirm Yes.
5. Also delete these two keys if they exist (right-click and Delete each):
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\UserAssist

   Warning: Deleting UserAssist will reset your app usage tracking (like the "Most used" list in Start). That's cosmetic only and will rebuild over time.

6. Close Registry Editor. Reboot your PC.
7. Open the app that gave the error. You should see the window at default size — resize and close it. No more error.

After the reboot, these keys get recreated fresh. The corrupted self-sizing data is gone. If the error returns, skip to the next fix — it's a permission issue.

Missing Write Permissions on the Registry Key

Sometimes the registry key itself is fine, but your user account doesn't have write permission. This happens after domain policy changes or aggressive security software locks down registry parts. The app can't save its new window size because Windows denies the write.

What you'll see: The error pops up on every close of an app, and maybe you get a secondary error about "access denied."

Fix:

1. Open Registry Editor again (Win + R, regedit).
2. Navigate to:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StreamMRU

3. Right-click StreamMRU and choose Permissions.
4. In the Permissions window, select your username (like YOUR-PC\YourName). If you don't see it, click Add, type your username, and click Check Names.
5. Under Permissions for ..., check the box Allow for Full Control.
6. Click Apply, then OK.
7. Do the same for the Streams and UserAssist keys (if they exist) under that same Explorer path.
8. Close Registry Editor. Reboot.
9. Test the app. The error should be gone. If it's still there, the corruption from the first fix is also present — repeat Fix 1 after this.

Real-world trigger: I once saw this on a corporate laptop after an IT admin pushed a Group Policy that restricted registry write access to HKCU. Took me two hours to find it. The fix above works even with those policies, as long as you have local admin rights.

Corrupted User Profile or App-Specific Settings

This is rarer but happens when your entire user profile has a corrupt section. The error then appears across multiple apps — not just one. Or it could be a single app like Microsoft Management Console (MMC) that has its own corrupted console file.

What you'll see: The error shows up in different apps every time you close them. Or it only happens with MMC snap-ins (Disk Management, Device Manager, etc.).

Fix for profile corruption:

1. Create a new local user account: Go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users (Windows 10/11). Click Add someone else to this PC.
2. Choose I don't have this person's sign-in information, then Add a user without a Microsoft account.
3. Fill in a username (like TestUser) and set a temporary password. Click Next.
4. Log out of your current account, log into the new TestUser account.
5. Open the app that was giving the error. If it works fine, your old profile is the culprit.
6. Migrate your data from the old profile (Documents, Desktop, etc.) to the new one. You can do this manually or use Windows Easy Transfer tools (deprecated but still work).

Fix for MMC corruption specifically:

1. Close all MMC windows.
2. Press Win + R, type mmc, and hit Enter.
3. Go to File > Options. Under Console, change Console mode to User mode - limited access, single window. Click OK.
4. Close MMC. It will prompt to save console settings — click No.
5. Now open the original MMC (like Disk Management). The default settings should reset the corrupted console file.

If the error persists after all three fixes, you might have a deeper system file corruption. Run sfc /scannow from an elevated Command Prompt, then DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. Reboot and try again.