Publish an MSI or EXE app

Keep your MSI or EXE installer and still ship updates to the Microsoft Store. The Store downloads the installer from your own link, so your app isn't repackaged.

Why keep your installer

An app the Store installs from your MSI or EXE runs like any other desktop app. It can write to AppData and the folders your installer sets up, ask for admin rights only for the action that needs them, set default file associations and handle licensing your own way, including volume and company licenses. An MSIX package limits each of those.

  1. 1

    Add the app

    On the dashboard, click Add an MSI or EXE app and fill in three IDs from Microsoft:

    • Product ID: the long ID in your app's Partner Center address, after /products/. You can paste the whole address.
    • Store ID: the 14 characters starting with XP at the end of your app’s Store link. You can paste the whole link. Before the app is live you can leave it empty, then add the app again with it later for the icon and the Store link in emails.
    • Seller ID: in Partner Center under Account settings, Legal info, on the Developer tab.

    StoreFast reads your app's installers from Microsoft to check that it has access, then opens the app.

  2. 2

    Paste the new links

    Click Publish an update. Each architecture your app has in Partner Center gets a field, with the current link under it. Paste the new link for each installer that changed and leave the others empty.

    Add a version, like 1.4.0. The Store doesn't show versions for these apps, so StoreFast uses it to label the update and its emails.

  3. 3

    Write what's new and submit

    Write the notes in English and click Submit to the Store. StoreFast translates them into every language of your listing, points the Store at the new links and submits the update for certification. Your installer's silent switches and return codes stay as you set them in Partner Center.

How it differs from MSIX

  • Hold until I publish isn't available for these apps yet. Certified updates go live on their own.
  • Downloads and ratings from Partner Center don't show for these apps yet.
  • The Store listing page edits MSIX apps only for now. Change the rest of the listing in Partner Center.
  • Microsoft has no way to delete a draft through its API. If sending fails partway, check the draft in Partner Center before you try again.

From the API or GitHub Actions

Start a release with your installer links instead of a file, then save the notes and submit as usual. The API reference has the fields, and the GitHub Action takes the links as inputs.

Stuck on something? Email hello@storefast.app and we'll help you get it working.