Publish to Microsoft Store as a company—now with free registration and faster onboarding

This post has been republished via RSS; it originally appeared at: Windows Blog.

We’re seeing growing demand from companies that want to reach Windows users across both consumer and enterprise devices, and we’ve heard consistent feedback that getting started should be simpler. Today, we’re addressing that with three updates: free account creation (removing the $99 fee), Microsoft Entra ID support for signing up with work accounts, and a faster onboarding experience that reduces friction and helps teams move from sign-up to submission faster. As part of our broader investment in improving developer experiences across the Microsoft Store, this new experience builds on recent improvements for individual developers that significantly increased onboarding funnel success, helping more developers complete account creation and reach submission faster. Used by over 250 million monthly active users, the Microsoft Store's open policies enable scalable distribution across both consumer and commercial devices. “At Brave, our core mission is to put users first. Distributing Brave through the Microsoft Store enables us to offer greater choice and flexibility in how people discover and install our browser on Windows. It also provides a seamless distribution channel that supports our goal of making privacy‑focused web browsing more accessible to users everywhere.”  – Brave, Company developer

What’s new in company onboarding?

Free registration

The $99 onboarding fee for company developer accounts has been removed, lowering the barrier to get started on the Microsoft Store.

Sign up using your work account (Microsoft Entra ID)

Based on common feedback from developers, you can now sign up using your organization’s work account—streamlining onboarding and helping associate your developer account with your company’s organizational identity from the start.

Faster, more transparent onboarding experience

A redesigned step‑by‑step onboarding flow with clearer requirements, upfront validation and real‑time status updates to help reduce friction and common errors. Many verification checks are completed automatically, with timely feedback and email notifications to help you stay informed and take the next steps when needed. [caption id="attachment_57784" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The redesigned account type selection step — both Individual and Company accounts are now free to register.[/caption]

How to get your organization ready to publish faster

To help you move quickly from account creation to app submission, here are a few best practices to prepare your organization before starting onboarding:

Have your D-U-N-S Number ready

Use your D-U-N-S Number to quickly retrieve your business details and expedite business verification, helping you complete onboarding faster. If your organization already has one, you can look it up here: https://www.dnb.com/duns-number/lookup.html. If not, you can request one for free here: https://www.dnb.com/duns-number/get-a-duns.html. [caption id="attachment_57785" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Entering a D-U-N-S Number during the Business Details step to instantly retrieve and verify your company information.[/caption]

No D-U-N-S Number? Upload supporting documents

If your organization does not have a D-U-N-S Number, you can upload supporting documents for business verification, which may take longer due to manual review. Keep your documents ready in advance. Accepted documents include company formation documents (such as articles of incorporation), government-issued business licenses or registration certificates, official government registry records, and tax or stock exchange filings. [caption id="attachment_57786" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Alternative verification via document upload — select from accepted document types if your organization does not have a D-U-N-S Number.[/caption]

Use a business domain email in contact details

Provide an email address associated with your organization’s domain (e.g., name@yourcompanydomain.com) to help verify your employment and speed up onboarding. Using a mismatched domain will require you to upload additional verification documents later for domain verification. [caption id="attachment_57787" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Providing contact details and a business domain email address to verify your employment and speed up account approval.[/caption]

Keep an eye on email notifications

You’ll receive email updates on your verification status. Review them and act—the faster you respond, the sooner you can complete verification and onboarding. When submitting documents, make sure to upload valid and accurate documents to avoid delays. Verification appeals are limited (up to three attempts), so submitting the right documents upfront can help you complete onboarding faster.

Why publish to the Microsoft Store?

As the Windows developer platform continues to evolve—powered by Copilot+ PCs, AI innovation, and a growing ecosystem of developers and partners—the Microsoft Store offers a trusted and flexible path to reach over 250 million monthly users. Developers can publish a wide range of app types, including Win32 (.NET WPF and WinForms), UWP, PWA, .NET MAUI and Electron, without modifying existing code. Apps are securely discoverable through Windows Search and can be distributed across enterprise environments using tools such as Microsoft Intune. Developers also benefit from flexible commerce options—including the ability for non‑game apps to use their own in‑app commerce system and retain 100% of revenue—while MSIX packaging enables Microsoft‑hosted distribution, free signing and automatic updates to reduce operational overhead.

Ready to publish?

Get started by opening your account at storedeveloper.microsoft.com.