How to publish a PWA to the Microsoft Store

How to publish a PWA to the Microsoft Store

1. 1

   Reserve the name

   You need a Partner Center developer account. Microsoft's PWA guide says to enroll with a personal Microsoft account, not a work or school one. In Partner Center, go to Apps and games, click New product, choose MSIX or PWA app and reserve your app's name. The developer account guide covers signing up.

2. 2

   Copy the identity values

   Open Product management, then Product identity, and copy three values: the Package ID, the Publisher ID and the Publisher display name. PWABuilder needs all three. If the name you package with doesn't match the name you reserved, Partner Center rejects the upload with a message about a display name you haven't reserved.

3. 3

   Package the PWA with PWABuilder

   Go to pwabuilder.com, enter your PWA's URL and click Start. PWABuilder checks the site and lists action items if it isn't ready. When it is, click Package for stores, then Generate Package under Windows, paste the three values into Windows Package Options and click Download Package.

   The download is a .zip with two files. The .msixbundle is the modern package, which uses the Hosted App Model and runs on Windows 10 version 2004 (build 19041) and later. The .classic.appxbundle covers older versions of Windows. PWABuilder also makes the app's icons for you.

   MyApp.zip
     MyApp.msixbundle          (Windows 10 build 19041 and later)
     MyApp.classic.appxbundle  (older Windows versions)

   PWABuilder's versioning notes say the version can't start with 0, has three parts like 1.5.2 because the fourth is kept for the Store, and the classic package gets a lower version than the modern one. If you package 2.0.0, the classic package is 1.9.0.

4. 4

   Upload both packages

   In Partner Center, open the app and click Start your submission. On Packages, drop both the .msixbundle and the .classic.appxbundle and save. You may see package validation warnings about restricted capabilities such as runFullTrust and packageManagement, which PWABuilder says you can ignore.

5. 5

   Finish the submission

   Fill in pricing and availability, properties, age ratings and the Store listing, then click Submit to the Store. Microsoft's PWA guide and PWABuilder both say review usually takes 24 to 48 hours. Microsoft's general submission docs allow up to three business days, so the certification time guide is worth a look if it runs long.

How updates work for a PWA in the Store

A Store-installed PWA still loads from your web server, so most changes don't touch the Store at all. Microsoft says that when you change your front-end HTML, CSS or JavaScript, or your service worker, the browser running the app downloads the changes the next time someone launches it. PWABuilder's FAQ says the same about store listings in general.

The web app manifest is different. Its contents are copied into the Windows package, so a change there needs a new package and a new submission.

To ship a new package, run PWABuilder again with the same three identity values and a higher version, then start a new submission in Partner Center and replace both packages. Keep both bundles in every submission. Once an app has been released with a bundle, Partner Center won't accept a later submission without one, as the MSIX update guide explains.

Microsoft also notes that Edge sends this Referer header on the first navigation of a PWA installed from the Store, so you can tell that traffic apart in your own analytics.

Referer: app-info://platform/microsoft-store

Where StoreFast fits

StoreFast publishes updates as a single .msix. It reads the package's manifest when you drop it on the page, and if it finds a bundle manifest it stops and asks for a single .msix. PWABuilder only makes bundles, and Partner Center expects a bundle in every submission after the first, so StoreFast can't publish a PWABuilder package today. Keep making those package submissions in Partner Center.

Because most PWA changes ship from your site, the Store side of a PWA is mostly the listing, and that part StoreFast handles once your Partner Center account is connected.

• Edit the description, features, search terms and screenshots in every language and send the changes for certification. A listing-only update leaves your existing packages in place. The listing automation guide covers the API and MCP tools.
• Add listing languages and fill in the missing ones with Translate missing.
• See downloads, installs, ratings and top markets for every app, synced daily, as the Store analytics guide shows.
• Read every review in English, with reviews in other languages translated for you.

If you're weighing a PWA against a packaged desktop app, the EXE or MSI vs MSIX guide compares the other ways onto the Store.

Who it's for

Questions

Do I have to change my PWA to put it in the Microsoft Store?

Microsoft says no code changes are needed. Your site has to be a working PWA with a web app manifest, served over HTTPS, and PWABuilder's report card tells you if anything is missing before it packages it.

Do I need to submit a new package every time I change my site?

No. Changes to your HTML, CSS, JavaScript or service worker load from your web server the next time someone opens the app. You only need a new package when you change the web app manifest, for example the app's name or icon, or when you add file_handlers, protocol_handlers or share_target.

Why does PWABuilder give me two packages?

The .msixbundle uses the Hosted App Model and needs Windows 10 version 2004 (build 19041) or later. The .classic.appxbundle runs on older versions of Windows through a small bootstrapper that tells Edge to install and launch your PWA. You upload both, and Windows users get the one their system supports.

What do I do about the runFullTrust warning?

PWABuilder's docs say the package validation warnings about restricted capabilities like runFullTrust can be ignored. If Submission options asks why the app needs the capability, PWABuilder suggests writing that it's needed for the PWA Hosted App Model, created by pwabuilder.com.

Can StoreFast publish my PWA?

Not the packages PWABuilder makes. StoreFast takes a single .msix and turns down bundles, and once an app has shipped a bundle, Partner Center won't accept a later submission without one. StoreFast can still edit and translate your listing, show your downloads and installs, and translate your reviews into English.