What is Microsoft Store?

What is Microsoft Store?

The Microsoft Store – formerly known as Windows Store – is an online marketplace for consumers to purchase and download a variety of items. The Store allows users to purchase hardware such as PCs, Surface products, and Xbox consoles, or download software and digital content, including apps, games, movies, or TV shows.

The Microsoft Store exists as an app on Windows operating systems (OS) and as a web app.

Microsoft’s physical retail stores are also called Microsoft Stores, but all locations are now closed.

Microsoft Store Deals

Microsoft Store items that users can purchase include the following:

• Software. Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and a collection of other apps are available, including Adobe Photoshop, Netflix, iTunes, and Spotify.
• Commercial applications. These include business applications such as Microsoft Cloud, Azure, Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365.
• Games. Users can browse a catalog of games spanning console and mobile platforms, supported by Windows and Xbox systems.
• Movies and television. These include a collection of new and old movies and TV shows.
• PC and other hardware. These include computers, Surface devices, Xbox consoles, accessories and virtual reality (VR) hardware, apps and accessories.
• Developer and IT related tools and applications. These include tools for Windows Server, Windows Dev Center, HoloLens, and .NET apps.
• Other items. These include gift cards, licenses and educational content.

How to use and navigate the Microsoft Store

The layout of the Microsoft Store differs depending on whether a user accesses it through the Windows operating system app or the web app.

The Microsoft Store is included by default with Windows 10 and 11. To open, go to the Start menu and type Microsoft Store, or find the app under apps in the start tab. On the Windows 10 app are tabs for Home, Games, Entertainment, Productivity, and Deals. Each tab takes the user to a page like a modern online store. For example, by clicking on the Entertainment The tab takes the user to a page where they can select new TV shows and movies, top entertainment-based apps, drop-down selection of new movies, top TV streaming apps, and featured movies. A search bar at the top right allows the user to perform a general or specific search. If the user sees an app they want, they can click on it and select Obtain if it’s free, and if not, they insert their payment information and select To buy.

Windows 11 offers easier navigation and storefront support. On Windows 11, there are tabs on the left for Home, Apps, Games, Movies & TV, Library, and Help. Users can click on any of these tabs to navigate to the corresponding location and see a layout similar to the Windows 10 setup. The search bar is also now centered at the top of the store page.

The web app, for example, has options in the Deals drop-down menu at the top of the page for device deals and software. Further to the right is an option for all Microsoft, which is categorized by Software, PC & Devices, Entertainment, Business, Developer & IT and Other. Under Software, there are options such as Windows Apps, Outlook and Teams. PCs and devices include computers, Xbox consoles, virtual reality and accessories. Entertainment includes Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Live Gold and PC games, plus movies and TV. Under Business are options such as Azure, Cloud, and 365. Under Developer & IT are options such as .NET, Visual Studio, and Windows Server. Finally, under Other are options such as Education, Virtual Workshops and Trainings, and Licensing.

Clicking on one of these options takes the user either to the selected app or to a page such as the Microsoft Store app where the navigation and layout are the same. But some layout options are different. For example, selecting Computers takes the user to a page where they can further refine the type of computer they want, such as a 2-in-1 laptop, desktops, gaming PCs, Surface devices, tablets and accessories. Users can select any of these options and scroll down for the specific product they want.

Microsoft Store Content Guidelines

The Microsoft Store is regulated by Microsoft and all apps sold through the store must first have Microsoft’s approval. For example, apps must not contain obscenity, defamatory, adult or politically offensive content. Also, they must not encourage violence, drugs, alcohol or promote the use of weapons.

Microsoft also lays out a few guiding principles for app developers, including delivering unique value within a product, not misleading consumers about a product’s capabilities, and not trying to mislead customers or customers. ecosystem.

Application content policies, as defined by Microsoft, include, but are not limited to, the following:

• General Content Requirements. These requirements relate to names and logos, risk of harm, defamation, offensive content, alcohol, use of weapons and drugs, illegal activities, inappropriate content, region-specific requirements, age ratings, user-generated content, and third-party showcase content.
• Security. A product must not compromise the security of a user, their device or associated systems.
• Testability. A product must be testable to be approved.
• Friendliness. A product must meet a set of store standards considering the usability of the product.
• Capabilities. A product’s advertised capabilities should match its actual functions.
• Location. A product must be localized for all languages ​​it supports, with any localization limitations declared in the product description.

Other content policies defined by Microsoft include content regarding personal information, financial transactions and game-related content.

Microsoft Store updates and evolution

Microsoft announced the Windows Store in September 2011 and opened the market in February 2012. The store offered listings of certified Windows apps and was hosted on Windows 8 and as a web storefront. The marketplace could also track product keys and licenses.

The layout of the store’s home page was redesigned with Windows 8.1, which displayed apps in categories such as recommended, popular, and top free. This update also added the ability to update apps automatically. The Windows Store was also released on Windows Server 2012 but was not installed by default. In October 2012, the Windows Store contained around 3,600 apps.

The Windows Store was again updated with the release of Windows 10 in 2015. This update merged Microsoft’s other distribution platforms into one unified platform. This update allowed users to download apps, games, music, movies and TV shows, and books from one location.

In 2017, the Xbox Store was also merged into an updated version of Windows Store, now rebranded as Microsoft Store. In January 2018, Microsoft removed its music category. In April 2019, the books category was also removed.

The user interface was updated with Windows 11 in 2021. In this update, Microsoft included many revisions to its app submission policies to make the platform more open and flexible. For example, an enhancement allows developers to freely use proprietary or third-party payment platforms, as opposed to those provided only by Microsoft.

Learn more about Development of Windows mobile applicationsincluding the process of publishing Windows applications.