I built a Windows app with AI. How do I get it on the Microsoft Store?

Step 1: find out what your app is built with

Ask your assistant "what framework is this app built with?", or look at the files in the project folder. Each framework has its own way to make a Store package, and we have a guide for each.

If it's a website, the Store Policies say web apps must be published by the owner of the domain, so it has to run on a domain you own.

Step 2: the steps you have to do yourself

These need your identity or your answers, so no assistant can do them for you. Our guide to publishing your first app walks through each screen.

1. 1

   Make a developer account

   Start at storedeveloper.microsoft.com. Microsoft charges no registration fee there. An individual account asks for a photo of your government ID and a selfie. If you sell the app as part of your work, Microsoft wants a company account instead. See the developer account guide.

2. 2

   Reserve the name

   In Partner Center, open Apps and games›New product›MSIX or PWA app, check the name and reserve it. Microsoft holds it for three months.

3. 3

   Copy the three identity values

   Open the app, then Product management›Product identity. Copy Package/Identity/Name, Package/Identity/Publisher and Package/Properties/PublisherDisplayName. Your assistant needs these next.

Step 3: have your assistant make the package

Open the project in the assistant that can run commands on your PC, like Claude Code, Cursor, Codex or GitHub Copilot in VS Code. Paste this and fill in the blanks.

I want to publish this app to the Microsoft Store as an MSIX package.
My Product identity values from Partner Center are:
  Package/Identity/Name: <paste>
  Package/Identity/Publisher: <paste>
  Package/Properties/PublisherDisplayName: <paste>
The Store name I reserved is: <paste>

Please:
1. Tell me which framework this app uses and which tool you'll use to make the MSIX.
2. Put those three identity values in the package exactly as written.
3. Set the version to 1.0.0.0. The last number has to stay 0.
4. Make every icon the package needs from <path to a square PNG>.
5. Check that no API keys, passwords or tokens are inside the app.
6. Build an .msix for x64 and give me the commands to install it on this PC to test it.

Read what it plans to do before you let it run. If it's unsure which tool to use, the framework guide from step 1 names one.

Microsoft also makes a tool for this, the Windows App Development CLI (winapp). It packages Electron, Flutter, Tauri, Rust, .NET and C++ apps as MSIX, and Microsoft publishes a plugin that teaches Claude Code and GitHub Copilot how to use it. It's in public preview, so commands may change. To add it to Claude Code:

winget install Microsoft.winappcli --source winget
claude plugin marketplace add microsoft/WinAppCli
claude plugin install winappcli@winappcli

With winapp, winapp manifest generate writes the package manifest, winapp manifest update-assets makes every icon size from one image, and winapp pack builds the .msix from your app's build folder. Your assistant still has to put the Partner Center values into the manifest.

Step 4: test it before you submit

• Install it and use it. Our guide to installing and testing an MSIX covers the commands and the errors. Microsoft's policy says the app must start promptly, stay responsive and not crash.
• Look at the icons. AI-generated projects often ship placeholder icons. The icon sizes guide lists what the Store needs.
• Take API keys out of the app. OpenAI's guide to API key safety says never to put a key in client-side code like browser or mobile apps, and to send requests through your own server. The same goes for a desktop app, since anyone who installs it can dig the key out.
• Make sure a tester can sign in. If the app needs an account, Microsoft's testers need a working one. Put it in Notes for certification.
• Check that the listing matches the app. Policy 10.1 says the description, screenshots and title must accurately reflect what the app does, and the title can't be stuffed with keywords.

If your app uses AI itself

Many apps built with AI also call an AI model while they run, like a chat window or an image generator. The Store has rules for that. Policy 11.16 says products with content generated by AI in response to user input must:

• Say in the listing that the app uses live generative AI.
• Note it in Partner Center. On the Properties page, tick This product incorporates generative AI features. Microsoft says this applies whether the model is built into the app, called through a cloud API or provided by a third party.
• Keep the generated content within the Store Policies.
• Give users a way to report inappropriate content to you, and act on the reports.

Sending what a user types to an AI provider also counts as transmitting their information. Your privacy policy has to say what you send and to which kinds of companies.

Step 5: submit it

In Partner Center, choose Start submission. Fill in the price, a category, the privacy policy, the age rating questionnaire and the listing, upload the .msix and choose Submit for certification. Microsoft says certification can take up to three business days. If it fails, the report says which test or policy it missed. Our submission checklist and failed certification guide help with both.

Publishing updates from your assistant

Once the first version is in the Store, connect StoreFast to your developer account and then connect your assistant to StoreFast's MCP server. Claude, Claude Code, Cursor and Codex can connect today. Then you can say "publish version 1.1 with the new export button" and the assistant uploads the .msix, writes What's new, has it translated into every language of your listing and shows you a summary. It only submits after you say yes. On the Free plan, the assistant gets the update ready and you press submit in StoreFast yourself.

Before it submits, StoreFast checks that the package name matches your app and that the version is higher than the live one and ends in .0. Our guide on publishing with an AI agent explains how the approval works.

Questions

Can I publish an app I made with ChatGPT, Claude or Cursor on the Microsoft Store?

Yes. The Store Policies don't ask how the code was written. They ask that the app works, does what the listing says, is testable by Microsoft and handles personal information properly. An app built with AI help goes through the same certification as any other.

Can my AI assistant publish the app for me?

Not the first version. You make the developer account and verify your ID, reserve the name, answer the age rating questions and make the first submission in Partner Center yourself. After that, an assistant connected to StoreFast's MCP server can upload updates, write the release notes and submit them once you approve.

My app calls the OpenAI or Anthropic API. Is that allowed?

Yes, with a few extra steps. Tick This product incorporates generative AI features on the Properties page, say in the listing that the app uses live generative AI, give users a way to report bad output, and name the AI provider in your privacy policy as a party you share data with. Keep your API key on a server you control, not inside the app.

Do I need to know how to code?

You need to be able to run the commands your assistant gives you in a terminal on Windows, and to tell when the app works. The packaging and Partner Center steps in this guide don't need you to write code.

What does it cost?

The developer account is free when you start at storedeveloper.microsoft.com. Microsoft signs MSIX packages for free when it publishes them. StoreFast is free for one app and one update a month.