Revamped Microsoft Store in Works for Windows 11

The Microsoft Store is the place to download apps, games, and other content for your Windows PC. A few improvements to the Store are now being tested with Windows Insiders.

Microsoft has just released two new builds of Windows 11 for testing purposes. These are the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25330 in the Canary Channel and the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23424 in the Dev Channel. One of the exciting updates that come with both builds is the new Microsoft Store update, which now offers a new way to install free apps and games. Instead of opening the app listing first, you can now hover over an app in search results and an expanded card will appear with an install button. This feature makes it easier to install apps and games that you already know you want.

Aside from this, Microsoft has also made some improvements to the popup that appears when you purchase a game or app. According to the blog post, the purchase dialog’s styles now align better with Windows 11, providing a more pleasant checkout experience. Moreover, the popup to rate a game or app has been updated to maintain consistency with the Fluent design language in Windows 11.

The latest updates to the Microsoft Store are not groundbreaking, but they do not worsen the user experience either. Earlier this year, Microsoft introduced ads in search results and below app listings, following in the footsteps of the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Once any glitches have been resolved, the new changes will be implemented across all Windows 11 devices. It remains to be seen whether Windows 10 will also benefit from these improvements, as Microsoft has largely ceased adding new features to the operating system. Nevertheless, the Microsoft Store remains closely aligned across both platforms.

Source: Windows Insider Blog (1, 2)