The best way to publish to the Microsoft Store in 2026

We built StoreFast because we ship our own desktop app to the Microsoft Store and got tired of doing every release by hand in Partner Center. So yes, this is our product, and we'll be upfront about where it stops.

How an update works

1. 1

   Connect Partner Center once

   You create a Microsoft Entra application with the Manager role in Partner Center and paste its tenant ID, client ID and key into StoreFast. Our setup guide walks through every screen. The key is encrypted before it's stored and never shown again. Your apps and their numbers show up after that.

2. 2

   Drop the package

   Open the app and drag your .msix onto the page. StoreFast reads the package and checks that the name matches this app, that the version is higher than the live one and that it ends in .0, like 1.4.0.0, which the Store requires. If it all checks out, press Continue and the package uploads while you write.

3. 3

   Write What's new once

   Your listing languages are read from Partner Center, and last release's notes are there as a starting point. Write the English, press Translate all, and every other language is filled in. You can open any language and change a word before it goes out, and each one is counted against the 1,500 character limit.

4. 4

   Submit for review

   StoreFast creates the submission in Partner Center, adds the package and the notes, and sends it to Microsoft. A tracker on the app's page follows it through processing and review, which usually takes a few hours to a day, until it's approved.

Here's a small example of the English you'd write, in the default layout with short headings and dashes.

New:
- Sync is faster
- Export notes to PDF
Fixes:
- No crash when opening large notes

With German, French and Japanese listings, Translate all writes the same notes in those three languages, with the same headings and dashes, and you can read each one before you submit.

What you still do in Partner Center, once

You create the app, reserve its name and do the first submission with the age ratings questionnaire, which Microsoft requires for every app no matter which tool you use. Then you connect StoreFast, and StoreFast handles every update after that.

What's not in StoreFast yet

• Scheduled releases and gradual rollout. Coming.
• EXE and MSI apps. Coming.
• Package flights and pricing are still in Partner Center.

How it compares

Partner Center by hand is free and has everything. Microsoft's listing docs say you edit each language separately unless you export and import a CSV. If you release twice a year in one language, it's manageable.

The msstore CLI is Microsoft's open source command line tool, with an official GitHub Action that installs it. It's still in preview, it only updates free apps for now, and telemetry is on by default. Listing text goes in through a JSON file you keep up to date yourself.

StoreBroker is a PowerShell module that Microsoft's own app teams use to submit their apps, many of them in 64 languages. It covers a lot, and you provide the translated listing files yourself.

Your own script on the submission API gives you full control. You also own the token refresh every 60 minutes, the 20 requests a minute limit and every retry. Our msstore and StoreBroker comparison goes deeper on all three.

Publishing from GitHub Actions

On Indie and Studio, the StoreFast action, legendaryspy/storefast-publish, sends every release from your workflow. Save a StoreFast API key that can publish as a repository secret, and the action uploads the package, takes What's new from your changelog or the GitHub release and translates it into every listing language. The update then waits on the dashboard for you to submit, unless you set its submit input to true. The GitHub Action docs walk through the setup.

- uses: legendaryspy/storefast-publish@v1
  with:
    api-key: ${{ secrets.STOREFAST_API_KEY }}
    app: 9PJWF4W8V4WG
    package: release/*.msix

If you'd rather keep to Microsoft's tools, their action installs msstore on the runner, and one more step sends the package. This is the shape of the workflow in Microsoft's guide, with your Partner Center details stored as repository secrets. The notes come from a JSON file you keep up to date yourself.

- uses: microsoft/microsoft-store-apppublisher@v1.4
- run: msstore reconfigure --tenantId ${{ secrets.AZURE_AD_TENANT_ID }} --sellerId ${{ secrets.SELLER_ID }} --clientId ${{ secrets.AZURE_AD_APPLICATION_CLIENT_ID }} --clientSecret ${{ secrets.AZURE_AD_APPLICATION_SECRET }}
- run: msstore publish ./release/package.msix -id <Store product ID>

If a coding agent does your releases, connect it to the StoreFast MCP server. Claude Code, Cursor or Codex can then upload the build, write the notes and check on certification, and it asks you before it submits.

Who it's for

Questions

Is StoreFast made by Microsoft?

No. StoreFast is an independent tool. It uses Microsoft's Store submission and analytics APIs through a Microsoft Entra application that you create in your own Partner Center account.

Do I still need a Partner Center account?

Yes. You need a Microsoft developer account, and Microsoft requires you to reserve the name and do the first submission of each app in Partner Center, including the age ratings questionnaire. StoreFast takes over from the second release.

What does StoreFast cost?

Solo is $12 a month for one app, Indie is $24 for three apps and Studio is $59 for ten. Paying yearly gets you two months free. Indie and Studio add the API, the MCP server for coding agents, the GitHub Action and full stats history. The 7-day trial works like Indie and needs no card.

Which packages does it publish?

MSIX packages, as a single .msix file. Support for EXE and MSI apps is coming.

What happens when my trial ends?

The last 90 days of stats stay readable, updated once a week. To keep publishing updates, pick a plan. Indie and Studio keep all of your history.