Where to Launch a Windows App: Microsoft Store, WinGet, Chocolatey and Scoop
Windows apps are launched through your own installer first, then through channels that reuse it: the Microsoft Store, which accepts MSIX, MSI or EXE and PWA submissions with a free individual account, and the package managers WinGet, Chocolatey and Scoop, which reach people who install by command. Each route asks for a clean silent installer, so build that before you submit anywhere.
Why does a Windows launch start with the installer?
Most Windows distribution channels are built around the installer file. The store certifies it, the package managers download and run it silently, and a person reading your website clicks it. A reliable installer that installs without prompts and uninstalls cleanly is therefore the first deliverable, ahead of any listing text. Fix it once and four channels become possible.
| Channel | What it takes in | What you maintain |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Store | An MSIX, an MSI or EXE installer, or a PWA | A submission and its certification |
| WinGet | A manifest pointing at your installer’s URL | A manifest per version in a pull request |
| Chocolatey | A package that runs your installer | A package per version, through moderation |
| Scoop | A manifest in a bucket | Updates to the manifest as versions change |
Keep your download address stable. Three of these point at it, and a moved file breaks them all.
Which six channels reach Windows users?
Details come from Microsoft’s own documentation and the package managers’ docs, read on 13 November 2026.
01 Microsoft Store
The store for Windows 10 and 11, managed through Partner Center.
- Account
- Individual or company; its registration page says to select “Get started for free” and verify your identity with ID and a selfie
- Package types
- MSIX, MSI or EXE, and PWA, each with its own certification process
- Release tools
- Beta testing and targeted distribution, gradual rollout, a Store Developer CLI, a submission API and GitHub Actions
The documentation covers the full path: reserve a name, create a submission that matches your package type, pass certification, then manage updates. Choose the individual account if you publish under your own name; the page notes that changing an individual account to a company one is not supported, so decide before you register.
Use targeted distribution to hand the app to a small group before a public release. It does the same job as a beta channel on a phone store, and it keeps a first build away from the public until you are ready.
02 WinGet community repository
The Microsoft community manifest repository behind the Windows Package Manager.
- Route
- A pull request that adds a manifest for your package
- Rules
- One pull request per package version; the package identifier must be unique; tools must support a silent install
- Helper
- A script and tooling in the repository to author manifests
The manifest points at the installer on your site or your releases page. Keep release files at permanent URLs, since a moved file breaks the manifest for everyone who installs through it.
Its docs say not to create a second publisher folder when one already exists under a similar name. Check what is there before you add yours, and match the existing spelling of your publisher name.
03 Chocolatey community repository
A package source for Windows with automated checks and human moderation.
- Validator
- Checks that a package meets the minimum requirements for the community feed
- Verifier
- Checks that the package works, installs and uninstalls correctly and can be installed silently
- Moderation
- Moderation services and a published list of validator rules
The advantage is a documented, rule-by-rule checker: the validator’s rules are published, so you can compare your package against them before you submit. A package that fails on a missing description or a badly named script costs you a round trip that could have been avoided.
Its audience is people who install software from a command line, so it matters less for a consumer app. For that kind of product, the Store and your own download page come first.
Visit Chocolatey community repository (docs.chocolatey.org) →
04 Scoop
A command-line installer for Windows organised into buckets of app manifests.
- Main bucket
- The default bucket, holding popular non-GUI apps
- Extras bucket
- Apps that do not fit the main bucket’s criteria
- Structure
- Buckets are repositories of app manifests; its README lists the known ones
Because a bucket is a repository of manifests, a project can keep its own and put the install line in its README, a cheap way to serve users who already use Scoop. Check its documentation for how users add a bucket, since we did not read that part.
Read each bucket’s contributing notes before you submit to a shared one, because we did not read their inclusion rules. A graphical app belongs in a different bucket than a command-line tool.
05 Hacker News (Show HN)
A technical audience that will run a desktop app if the download is quick and trustworthy.
- Guideline
- Something others can run on their computers, ideally without sign-ups or emails
- Off topic
- Sign-up pages and newsletters
- Cost
- Free to post; account needed
Offer a portable download or a one-line WinGet command, and show a screenshot in the first comment. Readers distrust an unknown installer, so describe what it changes on the machine and where it writes files.
Link to the source if there is any. A desktop utility with a public repository and a changelog gets a more patient reading than one with only a download button.
06 Post your build ideas (our launch board)
A free board we run, where a Windows app’s download page can have a public listing.
- Cost
- Free; no account; no queue
- Going live
- An emailed link
- Limit
- A small audience; no promise of reach
The launch form takes your website, so list the page where the installer lives. Pair it with a category such as developer tools if the app is for programmers.
It will not replace a store page. Treat it as a public record and a place for comments while the Store certification runs.
What order works for a first Windows release?
- Build and test a silent installer and an uninstaller on a clean Windows install.
- Publish the download page and list it on our board, so there is a stable public address.
- Submit to the Microsoft Store with targeted distribution to a small group first.
- Open a WinGet pull request and a Scoop or Chocolatey package once the version is stable.
The playbook for launching a Windows app puts dates on this, and the Mac apps page shows how the same logic works on the other desktop. If the app is really a website, the web apps page covers installable versions that the Store also accepts.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to publish an app in the Microsoft Store?
Microsoft’s registration page tells individual developers to select “Get started for free” and lists a company account as free too, with identity verification by ID and a selfie. We did not verify every cost around the Store, so read its current pages for any fee that applies to your situation.
Which Windows package manager should I support first?
WinGet, because it is Microsoft’s package manager and its community repository takes a pull request with a manifest. Add Chocolatey if administrators are your audience, and Scoop if your users are developers who prefer command-line tools. All three need an installer that runs silently, so build that first.
Can I publish a PWA to the Microsoft Store?
Yes. Microsoft’s publishing pages list submitting a PWA beside MSIX and MSI or EXE submissions, each with its own certification process. A PWA that already meets the installability criteria is a short step from a listing. Test the packaged version before you submit, since it runs in a different environment from your browser tab.
Post your build ideas publishes this page and runs a free launch board that competes with some of the sites it names. Facts about other sites came from their own pages on the date shown above; terms, queues and prices change, so confirm on their sites before you decide. About the publisher.