Microsoft Store submission checklist: what to check before you click Submit

This page covers what to check before you send. If a submission already failed, read why Microsoft Store submissions fail certification instead.

Account and name

• You have an active developer account in Partner Center. Microsoft's submission docs say you need one to submit.
• The app name is reserved. Every Store app needs a unique name, and Microsoft removes reservations that aren't used within three months. Leave out emoji, version numbers and dates, and make sure you have the rights to the name.
• You have the values from Product management > Product identity: Package/Identity/Name, Package/Identity/Publisher and Package/Properties/PublisherDisplayName. Microsoft's identity page says these go in your package manifest.

Package

• The identity in the manifest matches Product identity exactly. Microsoft says the values are case-sensitive, and spaces and punctuation must match too. If the upload is rejected, see how to fix package identity errors.
• The version has four parts and the last one is 0, like 1.4.0.0. Microsoft reserves the fourth part for the Store. The other parts go up to 65535, and the first can't be 0.
• For an update, the version is higher than the one in the Store. Customers get the highest version they qualify for, so a lower or equal version won't reach people who already have the app. More in how to update an MSIX app in the Microsoft Store.
• The package covers the architectures you support. A single .msix targets one architecture, so use a bundle or an .msixupload to ship x64 and Arm together. Two packages with the same version can't have the same architecture.
• The Windows App Certification Kit passes on the package. It's part of the Windows SDK. From a command prompt run as administrator, in the kit's folder, this tests a package that isn't installed:

appcert.exe reset
appcert.exe test -appxpackagepath C:\path\to\MyApp.msix -reportoutputpath C:\path\to\report.xml

Microsoft's kit docs say its performance thresholds assume a low-power computer, so a fast dev machine can pass tests the Store's hardware won't. You don't need your own signing certificate for an MSIX, since the Store re-signs it after certification, and a package can be up to 25 GB.

Store listing

• A description in at least one language. It has to accurately reflect what the app does, per Store policy 10.1, and it has to be translated into every language you declare (10.7).
• At least one screenshot. Desktop screenshots are PNGs of 1366 x 768 or larger, up to 50 MB each, with up to 10 per language. Microsoft suggests at least four.
• A title with no marketing text and at most seven search terms, with no pricing words and no other products' names. The listing limits guide has every field's character limit.
• A privacy policy URL on the Properties page if your app accesses, collects or transmits personal information. Policy 10.5.1 says Desktop Bridge and Win32 products always need one, and the Properties docs say Microsoft may require one based on the capabilities in your package.
• Support contact info. It's required only if the app is on Xbox, and contact details are required for company accounts, but customers will look for a way to reach you.
• A category. It's the one required field on the Properties page for every app.

Age rating, pricing and markets

• Every age ratings question is answered, and answered accurately. If you already have an IARC rating ID from another store, you can enter that instead. Updates reuse the rating, so retake the questionnaire only when new content could change it.
• A base price is set, either Free or a price tier. Pricing and availability also has markets, which default to all of them, and a schedule that defaults to as soon as possible.

Submission options

• Notes for certification include a working test account if the app needs a sign-in, steps to reach hidden or locked features, and, for an update, what changed. Policy 10.3 says testers need a demo account and any server the app uses must be working.
• Every restricted capability your package declares has an explanation of why the app needs it and how it uses it. This is required, adds time to certification, and some capabilities are rarely approved. You usually don't repeat it for updates unless you add a new one.
• The publishing hold is set the way you want. By default the submission publishes as soon as it passes certification. You can pick Don't publish this submission until I select Publish now, or a start date at least 24 hours away.

The checklist on one screen

What StoreFast checks for you on updates

StoreFast publishes updates to apps that are already in the Store, so you set up the name, age rating, pricing and privacy policy in Partner Center once. Each update starts as a copy of your last published submission, so those settings carry over. When you drop a package, StoreFast reads it and checks that:

• The package name matches the app's identity, and shows both names if it doesn't.
• The version is higher than the live one.
• The version has four parts and ends in .0.

StoreFast takes a single .msix per update, so if you ship a bundle or several architectures, upload those in Partner Center for now. The server checks the version again before it accepts the upload. Before it creates a submission, StoreFast asks Partner Center whether the app already has one in progress and tells you to finish or delete it there if so. The Store listing page checks every field against the Store's limits and warns about pricing words, other products' names and emoji in search terms.

Your notes for certification are saved on the app and sent with every submission, and Hold until I publish sets the manual publishing hold. StoreFast doesn't run the Windows App Certification Kit, test your app or answer the age ratings questionnaire, so those stay on your list.

Questions

Does my app need a privacy policy for the Microsoft Store?

If it accesses, collects or transmits personal information, yes, and you enter the URL in Partner Center. Microsoft's policies also say Desktop Bridge and Win32 products always need one, and Partner Center may ask for one based on the capabilities your package declares.

Do I have to run the Windows App Certification Kit before submitting?

Microsoft tells you to test your app with it before you build the Store package and to run it before you submit, since it catches manifest problems that cause certification or submission failures. It comes with the Windows SDK.

Which Partner Center fields are required for a new app?

Markets, audience, discoverability, schedule and a base price on Pricing and availability, a category on Properties, every age ratings question, at least one package, and a description and at least one screenshot in one Store listing language. A privacy policy URL is required if the app handles personal information, and restricted capabilities need an explanation if the package declares any.

Do I need a code signing certificate for an MSIX in the Store?

No. Microsoft re-signs MSIX packages with its own certificate after certification. You sign MSI and EXE installers yourself.

What does StoreFast check before it sends an update?

That the package name matches the app, that the version has four parts, ends in .0 and is higher than the live version, that the listing fits the Store's limits, and that the app doesn't already have a submission in progress in Partner Center.