The Microsoft Store has recently added applications like VLC, Foobar2000, Firefox, and Brave, but several essential applications are still missing, leading users to download installers from developers' websites. Microsoft has discontinued support for Office installations via the store, and the transition to allowing Win32 app formats has introduced more applications, although many developers may find this shift too late, with full support for Win32 apps not expected until 2025. Notable applications currently unavailable on the Microsoft Store include:
- Steam: A critical gaming platform with over 140 million users, absent from the store due to Valve's competition with Microsoft.
- Notepad++: A popular text and code editor known for its simplicity and versatility, requiring direct download from its official website.
- Calibre: An open-source e-book manager that allows users to organize, convert, and enrich e-books, also needing to be downloaded from its official site.
- qBittorrent: A free and open-source torrent client offering a clean interface and extensive features, available only through direct download from its official website.
- Paint.net: While available on the Microsoft Store for a fee, it can be downloaded for free from the developer's website, providing robust image editing features.