There are two types of apps that can be installed on Windows 10; executables which have been around for years, and APPX apps which were introduced in Windows 8/ and also work on Windows 10. The APPX type app is normally downloaded from the Microsoft Store. The Microsoft Store not only downloads the app but also installs it and the average user is unlikely to see an APPX bundle file but they do exist. An APPX application can be installed in one of two ways; via the App Installer, or from PowerShell. Neither of the two options is complicated. All you need to do is make sure the app is safe and that you’ve downloaded it from a reliable source. 1. App Installer App Installer is a free Microsoft app that is built for the specific purpose of installing APPX apps on Windows 10. Visit the App Installer page in the Microsoft Store. Click Get, and then Install. Once the app has been installed open File Explorer. Navigate to the APPX file, and double-click it. You will see a window showing information about the package. Click Install or Update if you’re updating an app, and it will be installed. 2. PowerShell An APPX app can be installed from PowerShell but the installation might be missing components dependencies that the app has. You will have to figure them out yourself and install them since PowerShell can’t do it for you. The alternative is to use the App Installer method. Open File Explorer and navigate to the APPX file. Hold the Shift key and right-click the APPX file. Select Copy as path from the context menu. Open PowerShell with admin rights. Run the following command but replace the path with the path to the APPX file you copied. Add-AppxPackage -Path "Path to APPX file" Example Add-AppxPackage -Path "C\Users\fatiw\Desktop\ Conclusion If you install the App Installer app from the Microsoft Store, installing an APPX app/file will be as easy as installing an executable. You will only have to double-click it to begin the installation. If you’re unable to get the App Installer, or it is unable to install an app for any reason, the PowerShell option is there for you to fall back on. If you’re having trouble installing apps from the Microsoft Store, you can download the APPX file for an app, and use one of the listed methods here to install it. It’s a little complicated but it’s also a good way to stick to an older version of an app that comes from the Microsoft Store. Fatima WahabFatima has been writing for AddictiveTips for six years. She began as a junior writer and has been working as the Editor in Chief since 2014. Fatima gets an adrenaline rush from figuring out how technology works, and how to manipulate it. A well-designed app, something that solves a common everyday problem and looks
UseWindows-R to open the runbox. Type select OK. Go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar. Double-click on "Remove the Meet Now icon". Set the feature to "Enabled" to hide the icon on the taskbar of the Windows 10 operating system. Restart the PC. With Windows 10, Microsoft introduced a new architecture called Universal Windows Platform UWP that aims to unify the app experience across devices like desktops and mobiles. As such, all the new Universal Windows Platform apps use “.appx” or “.appxbundle” as their file formats. One of the good things about UWP apps is that Windows manages all the installation and uninstallation process so that you don’t have to worry about any leftover files or registry entries. Generally, you can download UWP apps directly from the Windows Store. However, if you want to you can directly download .appx files from a developer site and sideload them in your system. Here is how to manually install .appx files in Windows 10. Enable Sideloading Windows 10 Before you can install or sideload Universal Windows Platform apps, sideloading should be enabled in Windows 10. Thankfully, sideloading is enabled by default. However, it is better to verify and enable the “Sideloading” setting, as it might be disabled by your administrator or organization. To enable sideloading, click on the Notification icon in the taskbar and then select the option “All Settings.” Once the Settings app has been opened, click on the option “Update and Security.” Here, navigate to “For Developers” appearing on the left panel. Now, select the “Sideload apps” radio button on the right panel and close the window. You’ve now successfully enabled sideloading in Windows 10. Install .appx Files With Double-Click To sideload a UWP app, simply double-click on the .appx file. For instance, I downloaded the .appx file of CrystalDiskMark UWP app and double-clicked on it. Since Windows uses its own installer, just click on the “Install” button to start the installation procedure. As you can see from the image below, Windows will show you which capabilities the app will run with. In my case the CrystalDiskMark app will run with “Full Trust Mode” capabilities. Once the installation has been completed, just click on the “Launch” button to launch the installed UWP application. If everything goes well, you should be able to use the app like any other UWP app installed from the Windows Store. If you want to, you can uninstall the sideloaded app like any other app from the Windows Store. Simply find the app in the Start menu, right-click on it and then select the option “Uninstall” and you are good to go. Install .appx Files via PowerShell Alternatively, you can also use the PowerShell to install an .appx file. To start, search for PowerShell in the Start menu, right-click on it and then select the option “Run as Administrator.” The above action will launch PowerShell with administrator rights. Here, navigate to the file location using the below command. Don’t forget the replace c\path\to\appx\file\directory with the actual directory path of the .appx file. cd c\path\to\appx\file\directory After navigating to the required directory, use the below command to install the .appx file. Again, don’t forget to replace “ with the actual UWP file name. Add-AppxPackage .\ Alternatively, you can also use the below command Add-AppxPackage -Path .\ As soon as you execute the command, the app will be installed. You will not receive any confirmation message whatsoever in the PowerShell window. However, you can search for the installed app in the Start menu and open it. Do comment below sharing your thoughts and experiences about using the above methods to install .appx UWP files in Windows 10. Vamsi KrishnaVamsi is a tech and WordPress geek who enjoys writing how-to guides and messing with his computer and software in general. When not writing for MTE, he writes for he shares tips, tricks, and lifehacks on his own blog Stugon. Subscribe to our newsletter! Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox w6kGqOE.