What’s new with Microsoft Store on Windows 11?

Microsoft is putting huge new features into the Microsoft Store. These will benefit both end-users and developers as the company continues its work to make the Store more ideal for everyone using Windows.

One of the biggest highlights of these changes will be the new “Restore Apps” feature coming in the Microsoft Store on Windows 11. It will be connected to the Microsoft Account of the users, so logging in to a new Windows 11 PC will give them automatically the ability to restore apps with just a few clicks.

“To make it easier for customers to transition to their new PCs quickly and seamlessly, we will soon test a new feature in the Windows Insider channel that helps customers automatically restore their apps, previously installed from the Microsoft Store, to their new Windows device,” said Giorgio Sardo, general manager of the Microsoft Store. “This will also help developers retain their customers without having to remind customers to re-download their app.”

The Restore Apps feature will be located in the “My Library” section of the Store application. Those transitioning to a new Windows 11 device from an old one will find this feature very useful. This is specifically helpful for those who often change their devices and use multiple machines (even virtual ones), as the manual installation of the apps will no longer be needed.

Microsoft will also be prioritizing the apps more on the Store by making them more discoverable for Windows 11 users. Once ready, Windows 11 users will be presented with Microsoft Store app listings instead of third-party websites when they use search to find apps. Soon, this new feature will be available to Windows Insiders in the Start menu.

Microsoft also has a surprise for developers by opening the Store to all through the removal of the waitlist for Win32 applications. Through this, submission of unpackaged Win32 apps will be more convenient, especially for indie developers. With this, the Store is expected to accumulate more apps faster. 

Moreover, Microsoft has other new features specifically dedicated to developers, such as automated Store app submissions, new analytic dashboards, Win32 apps discoverability options, a new ad platform for app promotion, and the ability to respond to reviews on Win32 apps.