How to download Microsoft Store apps

Adguard has published a new online tool that users from all over the world may use to download applications from the Microsoft Store.

You may remember that Adguard created a tool in 2017 to download Windows and Office ISO images from Microsoft servers directly.

Update: Adguard has pulled the service for now (a minute after publication, go figure!)

You had two options to download apps from Microsoft Store up until now and both worked on a Windows 10 device: use the Store to download and install the apps, or use a traffic monitor to intercept the downloads and save the application files directly to the system.

The new Adguard Store interface changes this as it provides anyone with options to download any Store application. All you need is the link to the Store to do so; you can select to download a specific version, e.g. for release versions of Windows 10 or Fast Ring.

Adguard lists all available versions and all that is left to do is click on them to download them to the local system.

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The script retrieves the information from the Microsoft Store. It lists all files, expiration dates and SHA-1 hashes in the interface.

You need to download the AppxBundle and EAppxBundle files for the selected application. Note that the listing may list different versions of the same application.

Download the two files to the local system. You need to enable the Developer Mode on the Windows 10 machine you want to install the applications on. Consult our guide to find out how that is done or use the following instructions instead:

1. Use Windows-I to open the Settings application.
2. Go to Update & Security > For Developers.
3. Check the Developer Mode option.
4. Windows displays a notification that informs you about the dangers of turning on developer mode. Accept the prompt by selecting yes.
5. Developer Mode packages are installed. You need to wait until the process completes.

Double-click on the AppxBundle file afterward to install the application on the Windows 10 device. The EAppxBundle file is used to update the application.

The app installs normally on the device. You can check the Store listing of the installed application and will notice that it behaves like any other application installed from the Store.

Please note that you cannot use the download option to get paid applications or games for free. Adguard blocks listings for paid applications and games, and returns an empty list instead of download links.

Closing words

The download option is useful in some situations, for instance when you want to install apps on multiple machines but don't want to download the application file each time. Another interesting option is the ability to download applications from other channels, e.g. the Fast Ring if you are on Retail.