What you need to know
- Extensions for Microsoft Edge browser are now appearing in the new Microsoft Store for Windows 11.
- The extensions aren't separately classified yet, so you need to search for them.
- Microsoft's new approach to the store seems to be working with more apps appearing every day and more functionality than the old one.
When Microsoft introduced its new web browser, the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge, extensions were a big part of the new experience. Users could install pre-approved ones by Microsoft, ensuring stability and security, or install external ones that work on Google Chrome.
But curiously, users could not get browser extensions via the Microsoft Store, which seems like a natural place for them. Instead, you had to get them via Microsoft's website.
That's about to change as the new Microsoft Store for Windows 11 now shows extensions built for Edge, including popular ones like uBlock Origin, Grammarly, and more. The news was first spotted in our Discord channel by user @Coellito.
Currently, there is no top-down way to browse extensions in the Store, so you need to search for them individually. Of course, it is incredibly early days for the new Store and Windows 11, so we expect such classification to come at a later point along with other refinements and improvements.
While not huge news, the addition of extensions continues to add value to the new Microsoft Store. Recently, new Win32 apps like OBS Studio, Zoom, Canva, and WinZip, and WinZip have appeared, demonstrating how Microsoft's new policies seem to be working. TikTok, as a progressive web app, is also now available. Later this summer, Windows Insiders should get a taste of Android apps on Windows 11 as well through the Amazon store (or by sideloading APKs).
The new Microsoft Store should also appear for those on Windows 10 later in 2021 with most of the same features except the ability to run Android apps.
