Microsoft Reflects on a Year Spent Fixing the Basics in the Store

Microsoft is wrapping up 2025 with a quiet note regarding its achievements related to the Microsoft Store. For the first time in a while, the company has openly acknowledged that usability was the real concern. And that fixing the basics mattered more than redesigning the Store.

According to Microsoft, the Store now reaches more than 250 million monthly users on Windows, which it says is due to some much-requested changes. To catch you up, Microsoft introduced Special Events, a new way to surface in-app events, seasonal updates, and feature launches directly inside the Store. The company is rolling out the feature gradually in select markets, including the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Apart from that, Microsoft also made some updates to recommendations across app and game pages, factoring in interests, regional trends, and timely deals. The goal, Microsoft says, is to reduce intensive searches and make each visit feel relevant. More importantly, these recommendations are fully controllable via Microsoft Store settings.

More recently, Microsoft Store also added a new Themes section, which gives users a place to browse curated visual styles. It’s a small addition, but one that makes users feel Windows is a personal space. Moving on, multi-app installs now let users install bundles with one click on the web in select regions.

Performance-wise, the Microsoft Store now launches faster, navigation is smoother, and background updates are now better scheduled for smoother performance and minimal disruption while devices are in use.

Do you think Microsoft Store has evolved in a better way, in a way you may have liked? Or does it still feel incomplete? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.