Microsoft Introduces Windows App Store for Easier Access to Apps and Games

Microsoft has recently enhanced its Teams app for Windows and Mac in order to enhance its performance. However, the company’s efforts do not end there. On October 6, Microsoft introduced a brand new web app store for Windows. This web app store is not simply a makeover or the inclusion of new features; in fact, Microsoft asserts that it was developed from the ground up with a fresh user interface (UI) to provide a more user-friendly and effortless experience when searching for new Windows apps and Xbox PC games.

Announcing the new web app store for X, Microsoft engineer Judah Gabriel said: “Hey! Today we released a new http://apps.microsoft.com app store for Windows. Proud of this work! It’s built with web components using @buildWithLit-, @shoelace_style-, @ vite_js, @pwabuilder’s PWA template, App Tools router running on a C# ASPNET backend.

All that means in layman’s terms is that the entire code base was changed and modern UI elements were used to build a more modern looking app store. Explaining the same to another user who asked if the rebuild just meant changing some parts of the code, Gabriel explained: “The old site was a React codebase built on an outdated UI framework. We created a fresh user experience with a thoughtfully designed interface, easier ways to find new apps, and modern web technology. Hopefully people find it useful.”

You can check out the new online app store here.

Microsoft introduces a new web application store

The new app store seems to be much smoother and easier to navigate compared to its predecessor. The search functionality has improved, and users also get a preview of their searches in a drop-down menu to quickly navigate to the right app or game. Even the search page is much better visually and shows just enough information for the user to know what to click on.

Users can now see the name of the app, its icon, rating, category and a short description in the title card of the search window. They can also see if the app is free or paid. However, it should be noted that the online app store does not replace the Microsoft Store app in Windows. It’s just an online benefit of the app store.