Microsoft Store can be closed on user devices. Even though the Store is closed, in some cases, applications in the Store may need to be installed on devices or these applications may need to be updated. Since Endpoint Central does not currently (October-2024) include applications in the Microsoft Store as supported applications, it is not possible to install or update these applications directly using Endpoint Central.

Alternatively, you can download the installation files of the relevant applications from a site, install them with a script, and apply this process in bulk on user devices using EPC. In addition to direct distribution, you can also put the relevant package on the Self Service Portal so that users can install these applications themselves.

With this method, you can install Microsoft Store applications on user devices. When updating applications, it is recommended that you test the process manually before updating with this method, as installing the current version setup over the current version of some applications may cause problems in the application. You can find the setup file for the current version of the application and test it on a device. If the application is updated properly, you can proceed by distributing with EPC.

Below you can find the necessary information about downloading application files, preparing scripts, testing before distribution, and distribution steps with EPC.

1- First of all, you need to download the current version setup of the application you want to install or update.

We search for the application you want to download on Microsoft Store and copy the relevant URL link as in the screenshot below.



2- We log in to the link below and search for the URL we copied on this site.

https://store.rg-adguard.net/

We will see the setup files according to the relevant application versions and the setups of the software that must be on the device for the application to work. (If the device is up to date, it will be sufficient to distribute only the setup of the application we are looking for. In other cases, you can download the current version to install the software as well.)

Since our script is for files with .appx, .appxbundle, .msix and .msixbundle extensions, you can download files with these extensions.

In some cases, when we click directly, the package may not download. If this happens, you can try opening the download link in an incognito tab and download it.



3- After downloading the necessary files, we can prepare our script.

You can prepare the .ps1 file by pasting the following powershell commands into the text file and then changing the extension of the text file to .ps1. (If the commands are corrupted while editing, you can copy-paste them again and save them.

powershell.ps1 content;

# Get all .appx, .appxbundle, .msix and .msixbundle files in current directory

$packages = Get-ChildItem -Path $PWD -Filter .appx -Recurse

$packages += Get-ChildItem -Path $PWD -Filter .msix -Recurse

 

# Loop for each .appxbundle file

foreach ($package in $packages) {

$packagePath = $package.FullName

# Run Add-AppxPackage command and wait for it to complete

$process = Start-Process -FilePath "powershell.exe" -ArgumentList "-Command", "Add-AppxPackage -Path '$packagePath'" -PassThru -NoNewWindow

$process.WaitForExit()

}

4- After downloading and preparing the script file, it will be useful to first manually test that the application and the .ps1 file are working.

For testing, you can keep the .ps1 and installation file under the same file on a device and check by running Powershell as admin. (You can also open Powershell and run the relevant .ps1 file.

There may be a restriction policy for execution on Powershell. You can activate it using the command below.

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

Afterwards, you can trigger our .ps1 file and check whether it has been installed or not.

An example of the setup in the testing process;






5- After seeing that the application setup file and script have been installed, you can proceed to the distribution-installation phase via EPC.

Endpoint Central   By following the path Software Deployment > Packages > Add Package, we can upload our relevant .ps1 file and the setup files of our applications. (You can upload more than 1 application. The script will install all of them.)

You can then distribute the packages to users using Install/Uninstall Windows Software ( User Configuration) .

You can check the screenshot below for the relevant installation processes.

Do not forget to update the name 'test'(.ps1) in the Installation Command field according to your .ps1 file.

powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -File test.ps1

6- If you want users to install these applications themselves, you can publish the package you created to the relevant devices via the Self Service Portal.

Once published, users can install applications themselves by logging into the Self Service Portal catalog.