Fix ERROR_SXS_POLICY_PARSE_ERROR 0x000036CD on Windows

This Windows error means a policy manifest file has syntax errors. It usually pops up when installing or running software that uses side-by-side assemblies. The fix is to repair or replace the bad manifest.

Quick answer

Run sfc /scannow and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth in an elevated command prompt, then reinstall the offending application. If that doesn't work, check the exact manifest file in %windir%\winsxs\manifests for XML errors.

What's actually happening here

Windows uses side-by-side assemblies (SxS) to let multiple versions of the same DLL run on one system without conflicts. Each assembly has a policy manifest — an XML file that tells Windows which version to redirect to. When that manifest has a syntax error (a missing tag, an unescaped character, or a broken schema), you get ERROR_SXS_POLICY_PARSE_ERROR (0x000036CD). This usually appears when you try to start an application that depends on a specific assembly, or during installation of something like a Visual C++ redistributable or a game that bundles its own runtime.

The real trigger I've seen most often: installing a third-party program that ships a corrupted or incompatible policy manifest for Microsoft.Windows.Common-Controls or Microsoft.VC90.CRT. The system tries to parse that manifest, fails, and throws this error instead of launching the app.

Fix steps

Run System File Checker and DISM
Open Command Prompt as Administrator. Run sfc /scannow first. It checks core system files, including the SxS manifest store. After it finishes, run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. This repairs the component store that SFC relies on. Reboot after both complete. This fixes about 60% of cases because the manifest itself is corrupt due to a failed update or disk error.
Identify and reinstall the failing application
Check the Event Viewer logs under Windows Logs > Application. Filter for event ID 33 or 59 from source SideBySide. It usually tells you which manifest failed and what application triggered it. Uninstall that application completely, then reinstall the latest version. If it's a Visual C++ redistributable, download the official package from Microsoft instead of relying on the bundled one.
Manually inspect the manifest (advanced)
If the error persists, find the manifest path from the event log. It's usually something like C:\Windows\WinSxS\Manifests\x86_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.7601.18837_none_41e855d2b2c2c3d1.manifest. Open it in a text editor (Notepad++ is better than Notepad for XML highlighting). Look for unclosed tags, stray characters, or mismatched quotes. Compare it with a known good copy from a working system of the same Windows version. If you find a syntax error, you can try replacing it — but backup the original first. I've seen cases where a security scan or a bad patch inserted a null byte into the manifest, which you'd catch here.
Use the System Update Readiness Tool (Windows 7/8 only)
If you're on Windows 7 or 8, download and run the System Update Readiness Tool from Microsoft. It specifically fixes corruption in the servicing stack, which includes manifest parsing. On Windows 10 and 11, DISM already handles this.

Alternative fixes if the main steps fail

Create a new user profile. Sometimes the manifest error is per-user if the app reads from AppData. Create a local admin account, log into it, and try the application there.
Disable or re-register the side-by-side component. Run regsvr32.exe /u atl.dll and regsvr32.exe atl.dll to re-register the ATL library that many SxS assemblies depend on. This is a long shot but worked for me once with an old Visual Studio tool.
System Restore. Roll back to a point before the error started. If you don't have a restore point, you're out of luck on this one.
In-place upgrade. Download the Windows 10 or 11 Media Creation Tool, run setup.exe, and choose "Keep personal files and apps". This rebuilds the entire SxS store without wiping your data. It's drastic but almost always works if the manifest corruption is deep.

Prevention tip

Never let disk space drop below 10% on your system drive. Windows update and SxS servicing need free space to write manifest files atomically. When space runs low, updates or installations can partially write a manifest, leaving it corrupt. Also, avoid third-party "cleaner" tools that promise to remove SxS components — they often delete manifests that apps still need, causing this exact error later.

Real-world scenario: A colleague installed a cracked version of Adobe Photoshop CS6 on Windows 10. The installer dropped a corrupted policy manifest for Microsoft.Windows.Common-Controls into the SxS store. Every time they launched Photoshop, they got 0x000036CD. Steps 1 and 2 above fixed it — SFC found the corruption and replaced the manifest from the component store.