How long does Microsoft Store certification take?
Microsoft says certification can take up to three business days, and it's often quicker. Once your submission passes, publishing takes a few minutes, and on average customers can see the listing within 15 minutes, depending on where they are. Here's what happens at each step and what can make it slower.
Plan for up to three business days from Submit to live. Microsoft gives that as the upper end, and many submissions are quicker.
- Certification: up to three business days, according to Microsoft.
- Publishing: a few minutes after certification passes.
- Showing up in the Store: within 15 minutes on average, depending on location.
- Restricted capabilities and apps testers can’t fully test can add time or cause a failure.
What happens after you submit
Microsoft's certification process docs describe these steps.
- 1
Preprocessing
Your packages are queued for testing. If Partner Center finds errors at this point, it shows a message, and Microsoft's submission errors page covers the usual ones.
- 2
Certification
Three kinds of tests run.
- Security tests scan your packages for viruses and malware.
- Technical compliance is tested with the Windows App Certification Kit.
- Content compliance checks your app and listing against the Store policies. Microsoft says how long this takes depends on how complex your app is, how much visual content it has and how many apps were submitted recently.
At the end you get a certification report saying whether the app passed.
- 3
Release
By default, publishing starts right away. If you set a release date, or chose to publish manually, it waits for that date or for you to select Publish now.
- 4
Publishing
Microsoft signs your MSIX packages with its own certificate. This takes a few minutes, and from here on you can't cancel the submission or change its release date.
- 5
In the Store
The status changes to In the Store, and on average customers can see the listing within 15 minutes. Microsoft also spot checks apps after they're published.
What makes certification take longer?
- Content review. A complex app with a lot of visual content, or a busy week for submissions, takes longer, by Microsoft's own description.
- Restricted capabilities. If your package declares one, you explain how you use it on the Submission options page, and Microsoft says the review of that may add time. You generally don't go through it again on updates unless you declare new capabilities.
- An app testers can't use. If your app needs a sign-in, Microsoft wants a working test account in the Notes for certification, and any service it needs has to be online. If testers can't fully test it, it may fail, and then you start again with a new submission.
How do I control when an approved update goes live?
Under Publishing hold options on the Submission options page, you have three choices.
| Option | What happens after certification |
|---|---|
| Publish as soon as it passes | Publishing starts right away, or on the dates in the Schedule section. This is the default. |
| Don't publish until I select Publish now | It waits until you select Publish now or pick a date. |
| Start publishing on a date | It publishes on or after that date, which has to be at least 24 hours away. |
Microsoft notes that delays in certification or publishing can make the real release later than the date you pick, so leave a margin before a launch.
How do I follow certification?
Partner Center shows the status on the submission, and the owner of the developer account is notified of the publishing status and required actions by email and in the Action Center. You can add people in the Developer or Manager role to those notifications. Through the submission API, the status moves through values like PreProcessing, Certification, Release, Publishing and Published, or one ending in Failed.
If you publish with StoreFast, the app's page shows a tracker that goes from Submitted to In certification, Publishing and Live, with the errors Partner Center reported if it fails. StoreFast emails you when an update goes live or fails, unless you turn that off, and a coding agent can ask for the same status. With Hold until I publish on, the tracker shows Waiting for you once Microsoft approves, with a link to Publish now in Partner Center.
Questions
- How long does Microsoft Store certification take?
- Microsoft says certification can take up to three business days and that it can be quicker. After it passes, publishing takes a few minutes, and on average customers can see the listing within 15 minutes, depending on their location.
- Can I speed up certification?
- Microsoft doesn't document a way to speed it up. You can avoid the delays and failures that cost you a resubmission. Test with the Windows App Certification Kit first, and put a test account and any steps testers need in the Notes for certification.
- Can I cancel a submission that is in certification?
- Microsoft says that once the publishing phase has begun, you can no longer cancel the submission or change its release date.
- My app passed but I can’t find it in the Store. Why?
- Give it the 15 minutes or so Microsoft mentions, since it depends on location. Also check the Discoverability setting under Pricing and availability, because a submission can be set up so it isn't shown in the Store.
- Does StoreFast make certification faster?
- No. Microsoft's review takes the same time however you submit. StoreFast checks the package version and listing limits before sending, shows you where the review is, and emails you when the update is live or fails.
Know where your update is
Publish your next update from StoreFast and follow it from Submitted to Live on your app's page. Try it free for 7 days, no card needed.
Sources
Facts about Microsoft's tools were checked against these pages on October 2, 2026.