The Microsoft Store , better known as the Windows store, was one of the novelties that Windows 8 introduced, but it did not finish taking shape until the arrival of Windows 10. Thanks to it we can buy and download all kinds of applications, games, themes and other resources to enjoy them on the PC in a very similar way to how we do it on our mobile phone or tablet. More and more developers are betting on it and publishing their programs there. However, we will soon stop seeing the store in some editions of this system.
The Microsoft Store is fine for home use. However, within business and educational settings, the Microsoft Store is not very useful. In addition to not being useful, since all the business software used is programmed in Win32 format, having the store can take control away from administrators (since anyone could download software) and be a problem for productivity if workers they go down, for example, games.
For this reason, last year Microsoft decided to eliminate the store of the two editions intended for business use: Windows 10 Enterprise and Education. Due to the pandemic, Microsoft had to delay its plans and, a year later, this change is finally going to take place.
| Windows 10 | home | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Type of license | OEM Retail |
OEM Retail Volume |
| Edition N? | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum RAM | 128 GB in 64 bits | 2 TB 64-bit |
| Telemetry | Basic | Basic |
| Cortana | Yes | Yes |
| Hardware encryption | Yes | Yes |
| Edge | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple languages | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile support | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual desks | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Hello | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Spotlight | Yes | Yes |
| Remote Desktop | Customer only | Yes |
| Remote apps | Customer only | Yes |
| Windows Subsystem for Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Hyper-V | Do not | Yes |
| BitLocker | Do not | Yes |
| Deferred updates | Do not | Yes |
| Possibility of joining a domain | Do not | Yes |
| Business data protection | Do not | Yes |
| Windows Update for Business | Do not | Yes |
| AppLocker | Do not | Do not |
| Credential guard | Do not | Do not |
| Windows to Go | Do not | Do not |
| LTSB Edition | Do not | Do not |
| Possibility to upgrade to Pro | Yes | Do not |
| Ability to upgrade to Enterprise | Do not | Yes |
| Ability to upgrade to Education | Yes | Do not |
Within a month we will no longer be able to buy apps in the Store
The Business Store and Education Store are modified versions of the basic store that we all have in the Home and Pro editions. Their purpose is to allow administrators to customize which applications users can download within an organization.
Microsoft has started showing notices to users of these editions to inform that, as of April 14 of this year , all app purchases within its store will be blocked. Users who have previously purchased any application will be able to download it again from their list of apps and install it on the PC, but new applications will not be able to be purchased. The free apps from the Microsoft Store will continue to be available and can still be downloaded from the store.
Microsoft will also force administrators to sign in with their Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) account in the Store in order to continue browsing. This will prevent the use of personal accounts within Microsoft Professional Editions.
Although at the moment it is not confirmed, this is, without a doubt, a first step of something else. And the safest thing is that, soon, these stores will disappear.
The store will continue on Windows 10 Home and Pro
This change will only affect the Enterprise and Education editions of the operating system. Microsoft does not yet have any intention of closing its store in the desktop versions of the operating system, that is, in the Home and Pro editions. The Microsoft Store will continue to be available to all users, and we can download or buy apps for free from it .
It is true that the Windows 10 store is not as popular as Microsoft expected, but more and more companies are betting on it, and it is even from where we download the games for the Game Pass , so it still has a long life for front on home versions of Windows.