Microsoft Store

Conditional free route other

Researched from public pages — no submission was run · sources read 2026-09-26. Rules change — recheck the platform's own pages before submitting.

What the free route requires

No registration fee under the new onboarding flow started at https://storedeveloper.microsoft.com (entry via Partner Center/Xbox/Visual Studio shows the legacy paid flow instead)
Individual accounts require government-issued ID + selfie identity verification on a mobile device
Company accounts require business verification: a DUNS number (fast, automated) or official incorporation/registration documents routed to manual review, plus a work email on the organization's domain (mismatched domain triggers extra domain-ownership documentation)

This is an app-store listing, not a backlink submission — you need a real Windows/MSIX-packaged app or game to publish via Partner Center
Individual account is for publishing not in relation to a business/trade/profession; Company account for anyone publishing commercially — switching Individual→Company is not supported, choose correctly up front
Microsoft account (MSA) required; Company accounts may sign in with a Microsoft Entra ID work account, which onboards the whole tenant

Government-issued photo ID and a phone camera for the selfie/ID verification step
For Company: DUNS number or official business registration document, and a work email on the company domain
A buildable/packaged app (MSIX) and store listing assets ready in Partner Center
Publisher display name and support/contact details for the listing

Go to https://storedeveloper.microsoft.com and click 'Get started for free'
Select Individual developer or Company account
Sign in with a Microsoft account (personal MSA, or Entra ID work account for Company)
Complete identity verification (ID + selfie for Individual; business docs/DUNS for Company)
Finish profile details and click 'Go to Partner Center dashboard'
On the Apps & Games overview page, create a new app submission and complete the Store listing (name, description, screenshots, pricing, age ratings)
Submit for certification; after approval the app appears on apps.microsoft.com

The zero-fee flow only starts at storedeveloper.microsoft.com — other entry points show the legacy flow
Individual→Company conversion is not supported; a wrong choice means creating a new account
Company verification without a DUNS number goes to slower manual review
After account setup it can take ~5 minutes for the Apps & Games tile to appear in Partner Center

The app's public listing page is reachable at apps.microsoft.com/detail/<id> (or via Store search) after certification approval

Certification review turnaround time for a new app submission
Whether Microsoft Store web listing links are dofollow for the developer website field
Exact policy for non-packaged PWA/web submissions under the new flow