Microsoft has launched a new web version of its app store for Windows. It’s designed as a replacement for the existing way to find Windows apps on the web, with links from the site opening in the Microsoft Store client on Windows 10 or Windows 11.
The software giant has ditched its old React codebase from its previous web version of the Microsoft Store and replaced it with a modern web version that uses Shoelace, Lit, Vite, and a C# ASPNET backend.
“The old site was a React codebase built on an obsoleted UI framework,” explains Microsoft engineer Judah Gabriel in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “We created a fresh user experience with a thoughtfully designed interface, easier ways to discover new apps, modern web tech stack. I hope folks will find it useful.”
The redesigned web store now makes it easy to search for Windows apps or Xbox PC games that you can download through the main Microsoft Store app on Windows. It won’t be replacing the main Microsoft Store app, though.
“Think of this as the web front to the app store on Windows. They work together,” explains Gabriel.
This new web front might come in useful for Microsoft as it looks to expand its apps and games beyond just Windows. Xbox chief Phil Spencer revealed earlier this year that Microsoft is building an Xbox mobile gaming store in anticipation of companies like Apple and Google being forced to open up their mobile app stores.
Microsoft’s Xbox mobile gaming store may launch as soon as 2024, thanks to the EU’s Digital Markets Act. It will need some type of web interface for discoverability in search results and links on social media networks.
