Windows 11 ‘Restore Apps’ feature will Make it Easier to Set up New PCs

Microsoft is working on a new ‘Restore Apps’ feature for Windows 11 that will allow users to quickly reinstall all of their previously installed apps from the Microsoft Store on a new or freshly installed PC.

One of the most time-consuming tasks for setting up a new Windows installation is restoring all your previously installed applications.

While desktop applications will still need to be installed manually, the new Windows 11 feature will allow you to install all the Microsoft Store apps tied to your account by clicking a single button.

“To make it easier for customers to transition to their new PCs quickly and seamlessly, we will soon test a new feature in the Windows Insider channel that helps customers automatically restore their apps, previously installed from the Microsoft Store, to their new Windows device,” Microsoft Giorgio Sardo explained in a blog post about the Microsoft Store.

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“This will also help developers retain their customers without having to remind customers to re-download their app.”

Microsoft has not released too many details regarding this upcoming feature, but we can get more information from a shared screenshot, shown below.

When visiting the ‘Library’ section of the Microsoft Store, a new option will appear showing the apps previously associated with the logged-in Microsoft account.

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Users will then have the option to click ‘Restore all’ to restore all of these apps on the new installation of Windows 11 or select the individual apps they wish to install.

While this will not install standalone desktop applications, such as Microsoft Office, Steam, Photoshop, etc., it will allow you to quickly get your new installation up and running.

In addition to the restore apps feature, Microsoft will also soon add the ability to install apps directly from a search in the Windows 11 Start Menu.

As it’s common to use the Windows Start Menu to search for apps to launch, if that app is not installed, users will be able to install it directly from Windows Search without accessing the Microsoft Store.