Microsoft Store for Business Apps will be Deleted Soon. This is the new message that you get with MSfB (legacy) apps. Microsoft has dedicated significant effort to enhancing the user experience of the Microsoft Store in Intune, especially with the upcoming retirement of the Microsoft Store for Business and Education.
As part of these efforts, in November 2022, Microsoft introduced an updated and enhanced app management experience within Intune, utilizing the powerful capabilities of the Windows Package Manager. These improvements aim to provide users with a seamless and efficient way to manage their applications within the Microsoft Store, offering enhanced functionality and a more streamlined process.
You can learn more by reading – Deploy New Microsoft Store Apps Type From Intune with Winget Integration. Additionally, we discussed the new Store experience in the video Intune New Store Integration Experience and WPM Winget.
The recent integration of the new Microsoft Store app type in Intune does not directly replace the Microsoft Store for Business and Education. Rather, it offers a complementary solution that enhances Intune’s overall app management experience. While the Microsoft Store for Business and Education continues to be retired, the improved Microsoft Store integration in Intune provides users with advanced features and functionalities to effectively manage applications.
What Happens to Existing Offline Downloaded Applications?
No immediate changes are expected as the Microsoft Store for Business remains available for offline Store app provisioning. However, adjustments will be necessary once the Microsoft Store for Business retirement is finalized. However, the exact changes involved are still in the design and development phase.
What Happens to Already Existing Store App Installations on Devices?
Starting in September, Microsoft will automatically remove apps from the Microsoft Store for Business and Education from Intune. However, it’s important to note that the apps installed on the devices will remain unaffected unless deliberately removed.
How will the Microsoft Store for Business and Education Retirement Affect Users?
Upon accessing the Microsoft Store, users will exclusively encounter publicly available apps. Users will no longer have access to apps designated for the Microsoft Store for Business and Education, as those will be retired.
How can I View All Microsoft Store for Business and Education Apps I have Deployed?
To conveniently view the list of deployed Microsoft Store for Business and Education apps within the Intune admin center, follow these steps:
1. Go to the Intune admin center.
2. Navigate to “Apps > All Apps> Filter.
3. Choose “Windows” as the platform in the filter options.
4. From the “App type” filter, specifically select “Microsoft Store for Business.”
5. After setting the desired filters, click “Apply” to apply the filter criteria.
6. The updated app list will now display only the Microsoft Store for Business and Education apps deployed within your organization.
How Do I Add a Microsoft Store for Business and Education App that Does not have an Equivalent Microsoft Store App?
Collaborating with app vendors to develop a Win32 line-of-business application is optimal if an equivalent application is unavailable.
How will Autopilot and UWP App Functionality be Impacted?
Microsoft introduced an important update in March, allowing users to deploy Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps directly from the new Microsoft Store app within the system context. Alongside this improvement, the Enrollment Status Page (ESP) has been enhanced to facilitate the installation of Microsoft Store apps through the new Intune integration during Autopilot provisioning.
More Details – Install WinGet Store Apps Using Windows Autopilot
How can an Organization Prevent Users from Accessing the Public Store using the Microsoft Store App?
It is highly recommended for organizations implement the “Show private store only” policy within their Group Policy Object or Intune settings. This policy hides the public store view for Windows 10 and 11 devices.
Does WinGet Need to be Installed Separately?
There is no need to install WinGet separately, as the essential WinGet functionality required for the new Store integration in Intune is already included as part of the Intune Management Extension. This extension is automatically installed on managed Windows endpoints whenever Intune deems necessary. Therefore, organizations can seamlessly leverage the WinGet functionality without additional installations or configurations.
What if I’m using Configuration Manager for Windows endpoint Management?
When utilizing Configuration Manager, the deployment of apps from the Microsoft Store requires the use of co-management. This gives you the added ability to leverage all the great functionality of Intune to manage your Windows endpoints, including the new Microsoft Store integration.
For Non Co-management enabled environments, for now, nothing changes as the Microsoft Store for Business is still available to provide offline Store apps as needed. Once the Microsoft Store for Business does retire, however, some changes will be needed, but the exact changes involved are still in the design and development phase.
Microsoft Store for Business Apps is No Longer being Enforced and will soon be Deleted
When accessing the Microsoft Intune admin center and navigating to Apps > All apps > to add an app, users may encounter an error message indicating that Microsoft Store for Business Apps are no longer enforced and will soon be deleted.
This notice underscores that the functionality and support for Microsoft Store for Business Apps are being phased out. Consequently, organizations must prepare for the removal of this feature and explore alternative options for managing and acquiring apps within their Intune environment.
- In 2021, Microsoft announced the retirement of the Microsoft Store for Business and Education.
- With this retirement, administrators can no longer manage the synced list of Microsoft Store for Business and Education apps or download offline content through the respective portals.
- Although the date for the retirement of Microsoft Store for Business and Education is yet to be determined, it is important to note that the Microsoft Store for Business tab will be removed by mid-May 2023, as mentioned in MC543773.
- This change highlights the need for organizations to adapt their app management strategies and explore alternative solutions moving forward.
The Stages of Retirement of Microsoft Store for Business and Education
Microsoft Store for Business and Education helps to give IT decision-makers and administrators in businesses or schools a flexible way to find, acquire, manage, and distribute free and paid apps in select markets to Windows 10 devices in volume.
The table below shows the stages of the Microsoft Store for Business and Education Retirement.
| Dates | Stages of Retirement |
|---|---|
| On April 30, 2023 | Intune will disconnect Microsoft Store for Business services. Microsoft Store for Business and Education apps will no longer be able to sync with Intune, and the connector page will be removed from the Intune admin center. |
| On June 15, 2023 | Intune will stop enforcing online and offline Microsoft Store for Business and Education apps on devices. Downloaded applications will remain on the device with limited support. Users may still be able to access the app from their devices, but the app will no longer be managed. Existing synced Intune app objects will remain to allow admins to view the apps that had been synced and their assignments. Additionally, you will longer be able to sync apps via the Microsoft Graph API syncMicrosoftStoreForBusinessApps, and related API properties will display stale data. |
| On September 15, 2023 | Microsoft Store for Business and Education apps will be removed from the Intune admin center. Apps on the device will remain until intentionally removed. The Microsoft Graph API microsoftStoreForBusinessApp will no longer be available about a month later. |
Microsoft Store App (Legacy)
If you try creating an App in Intune in the “All App” section, you will get the warning message that “Microsoft Store for Business apps are no longer being enforced and will soon be deleted. The Overview section in Intune will also show you the same error message.
To begin, log in to the Microsoft Intune admin center and navigate to Apps. From there, select All Apps and click on the Add button. In the next window, locate the option to select the app type and choose the Microsoft Store app (Legacy) from the available options. This selection lets you add legacy Microsoft Store apps to your Intune management environment.
- Following these steps, you can effectively incorporate and manage legacy Microsoft Store apps within your Intune deployment.
- After the retirement of the Microsoft Store for Business and Education, it is not possible to incorporate and manage legacy Microsoft Store apps within your Intune deployment.
- The window below helps you show the App type: the Microsoft Store app (legacy). If you create a new App in Intune that is a Microsoft Store app (legacy), it is working now, but it will retire or block after the retirement of the Microsoft Store for Business apps.
Note! – If you’re using the Microsoft Store (legacy) app type, Microsoft highly advises re-adding apps using the new app management experience.
Warning – Microsoft Store for Business Apps will be Deleted Soon
Suppose you attempt to open the 3D Viewer (online) app, which was created on 11/17/2020, within Intune. In that case, you may encounter an error message stating, “Microsoft Store for Business apps are no longer being enforced and will soon be deleted.”
This message is a notification that the enforcement and support for Microsoft Store for Business apps are being phased out. As a result, it is important to note that accessing and managing these older apps within Intune will not be possible for much longer.
Add Microsoft Store Apps ( New) to Microsoft Intune
To adapt to the new experience, it is important to consider the process for accessing previously installed Microsoft Store for Business and Education apps. To continue deploying and assigning these apps, re-adding them through the Microsoft Store app is necessary. This approach allows organizations to seamlessly continue their app deployment workflows and maintain access to the desired Microsoft Store applications.
Video deploying New Microsoft Store Apps from Intune
Let’s learn about WinGet Windows Package Manager for deploying New Microsoft Store Apps from Intune. You can easily add apps into Intune, The WPM integration with store apps helps enterprise admins to manage apps, and updates to Windows app management in Intune with Winget.
Author
About Author – Vidya is a computer enthusiast. She is here to share quick tips and tricks with Windows 11 or Windows 10 users. She loves writing on Windows 11 and related technologies. She is also keen to find solutions and write about day-to-day tech problems.