microsoft store

  1. 3D Viewer Deprecation: Microsoft Store Removal July 1 2026 and Alternatives

    Microsoft has quietly marked the long-lived 3D Viewer app as deprecated and set a firm removal date: the app will be delisted from the Microsoft Store on July 1, 2026, although existing installations will continue to operate for the time being without future updates or maintenance. Background /...
  2. 3D Viewer Deprecation: Windows Lightweight Model Inspector Ends July 1 2026

    Microsoft has quietly moved another piece of its once‑ambitious 3D strategy onto the chopping block: 3D Viewer — the lightweight model inspector that shipped with Windows 10 and served as Microsoft’s simple bridge for viewing and inspecting glTF, OBJ, FBX and other model formats — was formally...
  3. How to Fix the Microsoft Store Error 'There Has Been an Error' Step by Step

    Seeing “There has been an error” in the Microsoft Store is one of those Windows annoyances that shows up suddenly, blocks downloads or updates, and makes otherwise simple tasks feel like a technical emergency — but in the vast majority of cases the fix is straightforward and non‑destructive if...
  4. Prime Video Windows 10: Best Offline Downloads with Store App

    Amazon’s official Prime Video app from the Microsoft Store is the practical default for watching and downloading Prime content on Windows 10 — but calling it simply “the best” requires context: for offline downloads and a Store-native experience it’s the only fully featured, supported Amazon...
  5. Fix 0x80070426 Xbox App Launch Errors on Windows: Step-by-Step Guide

    If the Xbox app on your PC crashes at launch and returns error code 0x80070426, the cause is almost always the same: Windows isn’t providing the background services the app depends on. The app itself — installation package, UI and local files — is usually present, but the platform services that...
  6. Five Essential Windows Apps You Won't Find in the Microsoft Store

    If you rely on the Microsoft Store as your sole source of Windows apps, you’re missing some of the most useful, time-tested tools power users and everyday PC owners still turn to every day. A recent roundup revived an old truth: despite big improvements to the Store in 2024–2025, several...
  7. January Windows 11 KB5074109 Update Breaks Outlook POP and Cloud PC Logins

    A routine January Patch Tuesday update left a significant slice of Windows users temporarily unable to rely on core productivity workflows after the January 13, 2026 cumulative update (KB5074109) introduced regressions that broke parts of classic Outlook and disrupted remote access for some...
  8. Why Alexa Won't Install on Windows 10 and How to Fix It

    If Alexa won't install on your Windows 10 PC, you're not alone — recent platform changes, regional Store restrictions, and legacy installation paths have created a confusing landscape for users trying to run the Amazon Alexa app on a desktop. The simple "open Microsoft Store → search Alexa →...
  9. BetaNews Store Roundup 401: Grids, Security Tools and 20H2 Context

    BetaNews’s latest weekly Microsoft Store roundup keeps the steady cadence of small, useful arrivals and incremental updates that make the Store worth checking each week: this edition (four‑hundred‑and‑one in the series) highlights a handful of practical utilities — an Instagram grid slicer...
  10. Apple Music on Windows: Step-by-Step Sign-In, App vs Web, and Troubleshooting

    Logging in to Apple Music on a Windows PC is straightforward in principle — sign in with your Apple ID on the Apple Music app from the Microsoft Store or on the Apple Music web player — but real-world friction (two‑factor authentication, app vs. web feature differences, and occasional...
  11. How to Redeem Xbox and Microsoft Store Codes: A Complete Guide

    If you just unwrapped an Xbox or Microsoft Store gift card, a Game Pass code, or a 25‑character download key, redeeming it and getting straight to installs and subscriptions is usually quick — but there are a few small pitfalls that trip people up. This guide walks through every practical step...
  12. Windows 11 Fresh Install: Keep Replace and Dump for a Clean Desktop

    Every fresh Windows 11 installation ships with a grab bag of first‑party apps—some genuinely useful, some quietly redundant, and a handful that feel like marketing dressed up as convenience—and ZDNet’s pragmatic “11 I keep / 11 I ditch” checklist is one of the clearest, user‑centric guides for...
  13. Microsoft PC Manager: Free Windows cleanup and maintenance toolbox

    Microsoft’s PC Manager arrives as a surprisingly useful, free alternative to third‑party cleaners like CCleaner, offering a compact, Windows‑native toolbox for storage cleanup, process control, and quick fixes — but it’s not a silver bullet, and some of its behaviors deserve scrutiny before...
  14. Fix Microsoft Store Apps Not Installing or Updating (Reset Store + Re-register Apps)

    Fix Microsoft Store Apps Not Installing or Updating (Reset Store + Re-register Apps) Difficulty: Intermediate | Time Required: 15 minutes Microsoft Store issues can be frustrating: apps get stuck on “Pending”, downloads never start, updates fail with vague error codes, or installs appear to...
  15. Microsoft Store 2025 Review: Polish, AI Hub, and Policy Tradeoffs

    Microsoft’s own “2025 in review” for the Microsoft Store reads like a success story: cleaner navigation, faster loading, a new AI hub, a Themes section, and a parade of big-name arrivals that make the Store suddenly feel like a first-stop app marketplace. What the company’s recap does not...
  16. Microsoft Store 2025 Revamp: Win32 Web Installer, Faster Updates, Rich Catalog

    Microsoft’s Microsoft Store entered 2025 not as a static marketplace but as a rapidly evolving distribution platform — one that finally bridges legacy desktop software and modern app-store expectations, tightens the update and discovery experience, and introduces new delivery options that matter...
  17. Microsoft Store Themes: 400+ One Click Windows Personalization Packs

    Microsoft is rolling out a dedicated Themes department inside the Microsoft Store for Windows, adding more than 35 new theme collections and bringing the Store’s catalog to over 400 curated looks that users can apply with a single click, a change Microsoft says is designed to make...
  18. Microsoft Store on Windows 11: Key improvements and a practical roadmap

    Microsoft's Microsoft Store on Windows 11 has come a long way from its early, awkward days, but the recent Neowin critique that lists “five things Microsoft should improve” is a useful reminder that the Store still has important gaps to close if it wants to be a genuinely competitive app...
  19. Windows 11 Themes Hub: One‑Click Personalization in Microsoft Store

    Microsoft has quietly given Windows 11 users a fresh reason to open the Microsoft Store: a new, dedicated Themes department that consolidates hundreds of desktop looks into a single, browsable hub and enables one‑click application of curated theme packages that bundle wallpapers and accent...
  20. Windows App Downloads 2025: Store Winget Ninite for Safe Fast Installs

    The days of hunting through ad‑ridden search results for sketchy .exe installers are, for most Windows users, largely behind us — but where and how you download apps in 2025 still matters for both speed and security. Microsoft’s Store has matured into a legitimate first stop (now offering...