Starting next week, Win32 programs will appear in Windows Store

With the release of the Anniversary Update of Windows 10, the first Win32 programs from third parties can also be published in the Windows Store. This is according to a report from Evernote.

Evernote is replacing its touch app from the Windows Store with the full desktop app, noting that “the Windows 10 Anniversary Update brings support for Win32 desktop apps to the Windows Store.” Developers can use a tool to convert their Win32 programs to an appx package, where the software can plug into APIs from the Universal Windows Platform, such as those for Cortana and Live Tiles. It also allows one-click installation through the Windows Store. Microsoft calls this project Centennial.

Not everyone is in favor of this option. A well-known critic is Tim Sweeney, co-founder of Epic Games. In an interview with Edge this week, he reiterated his concerns that Microsoft wants to completely phase out Win32 software. In the future, if distribution were to be made exclusively through the Windows Store, the Windows PC would effectively become a closed platform and Microsoft would have a chance to shut out Steam, for example, Sweeney argued.

The Windows 10 Anniversary Update will be released on August 2. On July 29, Microsoft will stop offering to upgrade Windows 7 and 8 to Windows 10 for free.