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Microsoft Store submission: what to check before you submit

A pre-submission self-check for a Windows app, mapped to the official Microsoft Store policies with source and date.

updated ·3 min read

In this guide

This is a self-check, not a description of how Microsoft reviews apps. Review internals are not public in detail, so this page does not guess at them.

Source: Microsoft Store Policies, version 7.20 (page dated 2026-09-14), retrieved 2026-10-22. Policies change, so read the current version before you submit. Policy 10.1 says: "Your product and its associated metadata, including but not limited to your app title, description, screenshots, trailers, content rating, search terms, and product category, must accurately and clearly reflect the source, functionality, and features of your product."

Before you submit

  1. Read the current policies, once, fully. Keep the date you read them. Re-read when you ship a big change.
  2. The app does what the listing says. Compare every claim and screenshot to the build you upload. Check: a person who has not seen the app follows your listing and finds each feature.
  3. The build installs and runs on a clean machine. Use the Windows app testing checklist and the installer and update plan.
  4. No crash on first launch, offline and as a standard user. These are the failures a reviewer meets first.
  5. Permissions and data. List what the app accesses and why. Make sure your privacy information matches what the app really does. Policy 10.5 says: "If your product accesses, collects or transmits Personal Information, or if otherwise required by law, you must maintain a privacy policy," entered as a URL in Partner Center at submission. No legal advice; check the policy wording yourself.
  6. Listing assets are complete. Description, screenshots, age or content details, support contact. Policy 11.11 says: "You must obtain an age rating for your product when you submit it in Partner Center," by completing the IARC questionnaire. Policy 10.14 requires customer support contact information for Company accounts. The full list of required fields is in Partner Center; check it there.
  7. Test accounts and access. If features need a login, prepare a working test login and notes for the reviewer. Policy 10.3.1 says: "If your product requires login credentials, provide us with a working demo account using the Notes for certification field."
  8. Keep a record. Save the build number, the policy reading date and your test results.

If it gets rejected

Read the stated reason, fix that exact issue, retest on a clean machine and resubmit. For mobile stores the same habit is described in common App Store rejection reasons and how to test.

Ratings

Do not buy, swap or reward ratings; see why buying app reviews backfires.

AppReviewX accepts apps by store link from Google Play, the Apple App Store, the Mac App Store and the Microsoft Store. Windows and Mac apps must already be published in their store, and AppReviewX does not distribute builds or installers. Feedback is private and structured, one accepted feedback = one credit, and store ratings are voluntary, unpaid and never required. Back to the Windows and Mac apps hub. Related: Mac App Store review readiness, notarization and Gatekeeper testing. If you also ship on mobile, start free.

Not legal advice. Policies change.