store updates

Microsoft's work on the Microsoft Store reached a visible inflection point in 2025: the app catalog expanded, the Store's UI and update plumbing were reworked, and a few controversial policy changes sharpened debate about user control versus security. What began as incremental improvements in...

Microsoft’s recent tweaks to Windows 11’s app-update plumbing have quietly shifted control away from the visible Microsoft Store client and toward background services and publisher-managed pipelines — and that change has led to a surprising consequence: updates for some apps can be discovered...

Microsoft has quietly removed the ability for consumer Windows users to permanently turn off automatic updates for apps installed from the Microsoft Store — the old On/Off toggle now opens a pause dialog that only lets you defer updates for one to five weeks, after which the Store will resume...

Microsoft has quietly removed the long-standing consumer toggle that let users permanently disable automatic Microsoft Store app updates in Windows 11, replacing it with a pause-only flow that limits deferral to one-to-five weeks — a seemingly small UI tweak with outsized consequences for Home...

Microsoft has shifted the Microsoft Store's app‑update control from a permanent on/off toggle to a pause‑only model: turning "Update apps automatically" off now opens a dialog asking you to pause updates for a fixed period of 1–5 weeks rather than disabling automatic updates forever. This change...

Microsoft has formally told the public that the October 2025 security update will be the last monthly security rollup for a broad swath of Windows 10 releases — and it has given consumers a narrow, time-limited set of ways to keep receiving security fixes for one more year...

Microsoft has quietly changed how the Microsoft Store manages app updates: the once-simple toggle to permanently disable automatic app updates in the Store UI is being removed for many consumer devices, replaced with a time-limited pause option (commonly between one and five weeks) after which...

Microsoft has quietly changed how the Microsoft Store handles app updates on Windows 11 and Windows 10: the long-standing option to permanently turn off automatic app updates in the Store UI is being removed for many users, and instead the Store now only offers time-limited pause options...

A subtle but significant shift is coming to the Microsoft Store experience, as Microsoft rolls out a change that lets users install apps directly from the top featured sections of its marketplace. This update, already available to Windows 11 Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels running...

Few components of the Windows experience have undergone as much transformation and scrutiny in recent years as the Microsoft Store. Once derided for its sparse catalog, confusing layout, and buggy performance, the Store has quietly become a cornerstone of the Windows ecosystem—a place where...

Getting the most out of your Windows 10 or Windows 11 experience hinges on access to the right applications, and for most users, the Microsoft Store stands at the heart of this process. Gone are the days when simple tasks like discovering, installing, or managing apps required trawling through...

It’s been an action-packed week with all the news out of gamescom! In case you missed it, get ready for back to school with discounted apps and STEM Saturdays at Microsoft Store, check out our Windows 10 Tip on three ways to get started with OneNote or, keep reading for what’s new in the Windows...

Starting this week you will see new capabilities in Dev Center. In this blog I’ll describe what’s new in more detail and share ideas how to make best use of them: App submission: new price tiers, and preview of a new age rating system that will start to be rolled out in December App promotion...

This blog is the latest in a recurring series about recent Store trends across categories, markets, and more. Understanding these trends can help you determine what types of apps to build or where to focus your development efforts. With the launch of the unified Dev Center in April, we released...