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Features that require package identity

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If you want to update your desktop app with modern Windows experiences, many features are available only in desktop apps that have package identity. There are several ways to grant package identity to a desktop app:

  • Package it in an MSIX package. MSIX is a modern app package format that provides a universal packaging experience for all Windows apps, WPF, Windows Forms and Win32 apps. It provides a robust installation and updating experience, a managed security model with a flexible capability system, support for the Microsoft Store, enterprise management, and many custom distribution models. For more information, see Package desktop applications in the MSIX documentation.
  • If you are unable to adopt MSIX packaging for deploying your desktop app, starting in Windows 10, version 2004, you can grant package identity by creating a sparse MSIX package that contains only a package manifest. For more information, see Grant identity to non-packaged desktop apps.

If your desktop app has package identity, you can use the following features in your app.

Integrate with package extensions

If your application needs to integrate with the system (For example: establish firewall rules), describe those things in the package manifest of your application and the system will do the rest. For most of these tasks, you won't have to write any code at all. With a bit of XML in the manifest, you can do things like start a process when the user logs on, integrate your application into File Explorer, and add your application a list of print targets that appear in other apps.

For more information, see Integrate your desktop app with package extensions.

Get activation info for packaged apps

Starting in Windows 10, version 1809, packaged desktop apps can retrieve certain kinds of activation info during startup. For example, you can get info related to app activation from opening a file, clicking an interactive toast, or using a protocol.

For more information, see Get activation info for packaged apps.

Extend with UWP components

Some Windows experiences (For example: a touch-enabled UI page) must run inside of a modern app container. In general, you should first determine whether you can add your experience by enhancing your existing desktop application with Windows Runtime APIs. If you have to use a UWP component, to achieve the experience, then you can add a UWP project to your solution and use app services to communicate between your desktop application and the UWP component.

For more information, see Extend your desktop app with UWP components.

Distribute

If you package your app in an MSIX package, you can distribute it by publishing it the Microsoft Store or by sideloading it onto other systems.

See Distribute your packaged desktop app.