Microsoft Store Onboarding Changes: A New Era for Enterprise App Distribution
As application packagers and IT pros, we are constantly evaluating the best ways to deploy software to our end-users. For years, the decision between traditional MSI deployment, MSIX sideloading, and the Microsoft Store has its role in it.
On May 7, 2026, Microsoft announced changes: free company registration and faster onboarding for publishing apps to the Microsoft Store. This is a good development that directly impacts how we look at the enterprise app distribution approach.
What Changed in the Microsoft Store?
Previously, publishing an application as a company required registration fees and a validation process.
Now, with free company registration and easier onboarding, the barrier to entry has dropped significantly.
While Microsoft emphasizes MSIX packaging for Microsoft-hosted distribution, signing, and automatic updates, the Store also offers flexibility if you are managing standard packages.
Store vs Sideloading vs Traditional MSI
Let's look at how this impacts your deployment choices below.
Traditional MSI Deployment
MSI has been an industry standard for decades. You configure your transforms (MST), handle digital signatures, and deploy silently via SCCM or Intune.
It gives you full control over system changes, but your team is responsible for maintaining and updating the application deployment.
When patching your apps, you can weigh whether a lightweight patch or a major upgrade fits best, as outlined in our guide on MSP vs. MSI: Choosing the Right Patch Installer.
MSIX Sideloading
Sideloading avoids some legacy baggage through containerization but introduces strict certificate requirements.
Every package must be digitally signed with a trusted certificate, meaning you still have to manage internal PKI certificates and host .appinstaller files for automatic updates.
Microsoft Store
This is where the recent Microsoft Store changes shine.
By making company registration free and accelerating the onboarding process, the Store becomes a highly viable distribution endpoint, even for line-of-business (LOB) apps.
When you publish your application directly to the Store, Microsoft handles the:
- Hosting: You no longer need a hosting infrastructure where your application resources are stored.
- Signing: The Store handles automatic digital signing. This effectively eliminates the persistent certificate management issues associated with sideloading packages or the costs of purchasing certificates from a reputable CA.
- Updates: Auto-updates are provided directly through the Microsoft Store infrastructure, ensuring your end-users are always on the latest version.
If you want to learn more on how to publish your application to the Microsoft Store, check out the MSIX and EXE&MSI articles.
What does this mean for Application Packaging?
By offloading hosting and signing to Microsoft, the Store becomes a much more approachable route for both standard tools and modern line-of-business apps.
However, complex applications needing deep system-level access, custom drivers, or specialized configurations still rely on traditional application packaging methods. For those scenarios, packaging tools like Advanced Installer or PacKit (which includes modern PSADT scripting) come in aid.
Microsoft’s update makes distribution significantly more accessible for companies. If you haven't checked out the Microsoft Store for your enterprise apps in a while, now is the time to see if it works for you.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
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Written by
Radu Popescu
Technical Writer at Advanced Installer, Technical Engineer on various enterprise client projects. Experienced in Software Packaging, SCCM infrastructure and System Administrating. Tech enthusiast and music producer in his spare time.