Windows 10 is almost two years old and the Windows Store that first appeared with Windows 8 in 2012 has already passed the five. In all that time the ecosystem of applications available in it has grown a lot, and yet, it still does not bloom as much as we would like, but it seems that things are starting to change.

In the recent Build 2017 Microsoft celebrated that it already has almost 1000 apps converted in the Windows Store thanks to the use of Desktop Bridge. With this method, developers can convert their Win32 apps to UWP in a simple way to distribute them from the Microsoft store, and this is how this year some of the best known names have stepped on the Windows Store for the first time.

With the arrival of Windows 10 S it is more important than ever for Microsoft that its apps store grows, with a version of the system that only bets on this ecosystem, it is essential to have not only good applications, but also the most popular and demanded by the market.

Spotify

Spotify has less than 24 hours in the Windows Store. Finally, the desktop application of the popular streaming music service has landed in the Windows store. His arrival had been announced in the Build 2017 and is now a reality.

The good news is that if you already have the Win32 app you do not need to uninstall it or do anything after installing this, all your login data will be kept and the app will replace the other version so you do not have duplicates. The “bad” news is that you will not find any new or unique features , it is exactly the same application. And, at the moment, it does not have interactive tiles for the start menu, although perhaps in the future.

Office

Microsoft Office 365 is finally available in the Windows store, although with certain limitations. With the release of Windows 10 S, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access and Publisher can be installed from the Windows Store.

Now, at the moment they are in preview and can only be installed from Windows 10 S. When the preview period ends, they can be installed on other devices with Windows 10. The only difference with classic applications is that you can only use 32-bit versions, and you can not use COM add-ins.

Telegram

Telegram has become one of the most popular messaging services today, and one of its most striking features is the availability of native applications for almost any operating system.

During the first quarter of the year Telegram made its arrival in the Windows Store. It is another Centenial app, that is, it is exactly the same as the Telegram Desktop for Windows client, with the same functions and benefits.

Slack

At the beginning of 2017 the Slack for Windows application was also reconverted to UWP and appeared for the first time in the app store. Like the other Centenial apps, it has exactly the same features as the classic version.

Inkscape

This week, two of the best open source graphics editors made their appearance at the Windows Store . One of them is the veteran Inkscape oriented mainly to the edition of vectorial graphics.

However, the version for Windows 10 may have some incomplete functions and may only offer limited support, at least for the time being.

Krita

The graphic editing program that has become extremely popular among digital artists in recent years, also premieres in the Windows Store. The difference in this case is that the store version is paid.

Krita for Windows 10 continues to be an open and free program, but to help raise funds for the development of the app have put the price of 9.49 euros in the Microsoft store that you can understand as a donation. You can always download the win32 version if you do not want to or can pay.

F.lux

Although with the Creators Update Windows 10 received new night light features to change the color temperature of the screen according to the time of day, there are third party programs that have been doing this for a long time, and one of them is F.lux

A version for the Windows store appeared in May 2017 and if you wonder why you would use this instead of the function already integrated in Windows 10, the answer is simple: more customization options and many more controls.

What is the benefit of installing these apps from the store?

It is natural to ask the question, if you already have the classic version of one of these apps and the one that appears in the Windows Store does not provide anything different, why will you install it then? Well, there are a couple of benefits.

The first is that the installation process is much simpler : go to the store, look for something and press install. You do not have to go to a website to download an .exe and then press “next” ten times. It may seem like a small thing, but you have to think about the most novice users and how this simplifies your life.

The second is that Windows 10 is responsible for updating and installing the update of each app automatically from now on. And the third is quite lethal: security. The number of times someone has been infected with malware by searching Google “download office” or something, and ended up in a dubious site created just to attract it, can be drastically reduced in a closed ecosystem like the Windows store.

The user who prefers their classic apps still has them available, but having basic things like Spotify, Office and soon iTunes and WhatsApp in the Windows store is a relief for many users. Especially for those who do not want to go to repair the PC to a family member because they swallowed a virus trying to download things for free.