Microsoft Store on Windows 11 significantly improves in 2025, making it worthwhile to utilize it. Here's a rundown of reasons to start using it.

Microsoft Store on Windows 11 significantly improves in 2025, making it worthwhile to utilize it. Here's a rundown of reasons to start using it.

The Microsoft Store, once a source of frustration for Windows users due to its limited selection and outdated apps, has undergone a significant transformation. This transformation, primarily driven by two key changes, has turned the Microsoft Store into a genuinely useful app marketplace for Windows users.

Opening the Store to Legacy and Desktop-Class Windows Apps

Microsoft made a bold move by opening the Store to legacy and desktop-class Windows apps. This change allowed a much wider range of traditional Windows applications to be listed and installed through the Store, vastly expanding its catalog beyond just "modern" apps designed for earlier Store models.

Allowing Developers to Host Their Apps on Their Own Servers

Another significant change was allowing developers to host their apps and updates on their own servers while still being listed in the Microsoft Store. This change means the Store acts more like a search and discovery platform, directing users to apps but letting developers handle distribution and updates. It reduces reliance on Microsoft’s servers and avoids fees on in-app purchases, improving flexibility and appeal for developers.

These changes, introduced around the Windows 11 launch timeframe and continuing through 2025, have resulted in a modern, fluid user interface and a broadened, developer-friendly app ecosystem. The Microsoft Store now offers a catalog of apps that covers everything needed for Windows users, including big-name browsers like Opera and Firefox, apps like Adobe Creative Cloud, OBS Studio, Apple Music, and Paint.NET.

Users are encouraged to reevaluate their mindset towards the Microsoft Store and give it another try. The Microsoft Store on Windows is no longer a pain to use with a limited selection of apps. It's genuinely great now.

Even Windows 10 users can benefit from the improved Microsoft Store, as the Windows 11 version is now available on Windows 10. It's time to encourage more app developers to list their apps in the Microsoft Store for convenience and safety reasons.

The Microsoft Store on Windows 11 now embraces an open-platform ideology, allowing a vast expansion of available apps. It does a better job at surfacing officially listed store apps for developers compared to web search engines. The Store also provides helpful error codes and explanations when app updates or downloads fail, making it easier to fix issues.

In conclusion, the Microsoft Store has come a long way from its humble beginnings. It's now a place where users can find most of the Windows apps they are likely to use, with a modern, user-friendly interface and a developer-friendly ecosystem. It's time to embrace the new Microsoft Store and enjoy the convenience it offers.

1. The Microsoft Store, once a source of frustration for Windows users, has undergone a transformation, making it a genuinely useful app marketplace.
2. Microsoft made a bold move by opening the Store to legacy and desktop-class Windows apps, expanding its catalog beyond just modern apps.
3. The Microsoft Store now offers a catalog of apps that covers everything needed for Windows users, including big-name browsers like Opera and Firefox.
4. Users can now benefit from the improved Microsoft Store, even on Windows 10, as the Windows 11 version is now available on Windows 10.
5. The Microsoft Store on Windows 11 has embraced an open-platform ideology, allowing a vast expansion of available apps and doing a better job at surfacing officially listed store apps for developers.
6. Developers can now host their apps and updates on their own servers, reducing reliance on Microsoft’s servers and avoiding fees on in-app purchases, improving flexibility and appeal.

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