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Install Appx Without Microsoft Store on Windows LTSC
With Microsoft Store, you can easily install apps on your Windows 10 device, just like with Google Play or the Apple App Store. IT departments often remove the Microsoft Store from the devices to prevent users from installing all kinds of apps.
Do you have a bare version of Windows LTSC or highly stripped out ISO image that doesn’t have the Microsoft Store? But some apps, like Microsoft ToDo app for example, are only available through the store. So how can you install these kinds of apps on your Windows 10 device without store?
With the help of the online Microsoft Store, an URL converter, and a little bit of PowerShell you can install any app on your computer without the store.
Method 1: Install Appx using Winget Package Manager
The winget command line tool enables users to discover, install, upgrade, remove and configure applications on Windows 10 and Windows 11 computers. This tool is the client interface to the Windows Package Manager service.
But, to install the Windows Package Manager, you need Microsoft Store. To bypass this requirement, we’ll install it manually using Windows PowerShell.
1. Open an elevated Windows PowerShell window (run Windows PowerShell as an administrator).
2. Copy then run all below commands at once to configure execution policy, install Nuget package provider, install the PowerShellGet module and install Winget CLI:
#Install a script from PSGallery
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Force
Install-PackageProvider -Name "NuGet" -Force
Set-PSRepository -Name 'PSGallery' -InstallationPolicy Trusted
Install-Module -Name "PowerShellGet" -Force
Install-Script -Name "winget-install" -Force
winget-install.ps1
#Uninstall the script, we no longer need it
Uninstall-Script -Name "winget-install"#Output
###################################
# Installing winget...
###################################
Path :
Online : True
RestartNeeded : False
###################################
# Adding WindowsApps directory to PATH variable for current user...
###################################
###################################
# Cleaning up...
###################################
###################################
# Installation complete!
###################################
###################################
# Please restart your computer to complete the installation.
###################################3. Once done, you can run the following code to verify it works.
$packages = @("Microsoft.VCLibs","DesktopAppInstaller","UI.Xaml")
ForEach ($package in $packages){Get-AppxPackage -Name *$package* | select Name,Version,Status }The winget and its dependencies are installed (its name is Microsoft.DesktopAppInstaller).
#Output
Name Version Status
---- ------- ------
Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00.UWPDesktop 14.0.30704.0 Ok
Microsoft.DesktopAppInstaller 1.19.10173.0 Ok
Microsoft.UI.Xaml.2.7 7.2203.17001.0 Ok4. Now, open Windows PowerShell or Windows Commnad Prompt (cmd) then search an store app. For example, we’ll search and install Microsoft To Do app:
PS C:\Windows\system32> winget search "to do"
Name Id Version Source
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Microsoft To Do: Lists, Tasks & Reminders 9NBLGGH5R558 Unknown msstore
to do list + 9N2RCHR57QTX Unknown msstore
Simple Checklist / To Do List 9NBLGGH4XCSS Unknown msstore
HR To Do 5. Take note the app id, we’ll using it in the next step.
6. Install the app using winget command:
PS C:\Windows\system32> winget install "9NBLGGH5R558"
Verifying/Requesting package acquisition...
Verifying/Requesting package acquisition success
Starting package install...
██████████████████████████████ 100%
Successfully installedThe app is installed, you should see it from Windows search or Start menu.
Method 2: Manually get any Appx without Microsoft Store
Alternatively, we can use the https://store.rg-adguard.net/ site we can snatch any appx as long as we know the package name.
We are going to use the Microsoft ToDo app as an example of how you can download and install apps without the store, but you can use this for any app of course.
1. So the first step is to find the URL of the app in the online Microsoft Store. You don’t need the actual store for this, you can just use your browser to open the Store. If you have found the app that you want to install, just copy the URL from the address bar.
The URL for the Microsoft ToDo app is:
https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/microsoft-to-do-lists-tasks-reminders/9NBLGGH5R5582. We need to convert the link to the actual Microsoft Store items. To do this we will use the website https://store.rg-adguard.net.
4. After you clicked on the checked mark it will find all the related apps.
- Most of the time the results start with .Net Frameworks that are required for the app, but we can skip them.
- Somewhere in the middle, you will find the appxBundles for the Microsoft ToDo app.
5. Make sure you select the latest version, ignore the date column, just check the version number. Also, make sure you select the appxBundle instead of the eappxBundle. The latter is for Xbox.
6. The last step is to install the Microsoft ToDo app with PowerShell.
Add-AppxPackage -Path "C:\temp\Microsoft.Todos_2.46.41622.0_neutral___8wekyb3d8bbwe.AppxBundle"
Microsoft Todo should now be installed without the need for the store.
Conclusion
As you can see you can download Microsoft Todo without store. Using PowerShell gives you much more control over which versions and apps are installed on your computers. It’s also a great way to pre-installed apps that are generally used in your organization.
Make sure you check the version number. You will get an installation error if the app is already installed with the same or higher version number. If an app won’t install add all, then make sure you check if the needed pre-requested are installed on the client.
