You can now install multiple apps simultaneously from the Microsoft Store
Microsoft has very quietly introduced a multi-app installer option for the Microsoft Store. Working in a similar way to third-party package installers, the new feature makes it possible to add several apps to a “shopping list” and then install them in one fell swoop rather than individually.
There are a few interesting things about this, not least of which is the fact that Microsoft has not made a big announcement about this handy new option. Another curiosity is that the option is only available for some users of the web-based version of the Microsoft Store.
The way the multi-app installation works is a little unusual. As reported by The Register, although you need to use the web-based version of the Microsoft Store to select the apps you are interested in, when you start the installation process, it automatically switches to the Microsoft Store app. At the moment, it is unclear whether the same option will be introduced into the Microsoft Store app, or if it will remain in this current strange state of being a hybrid web and app experience.
The feature was spotted by an X user who shared the discovery in a post: “The web version of the Microsoft Store now allows you to create "Multi-app installs". The 48 apps divided over these 6 categories so far seem to be the only ones supported”:
As the post says, the option to select multiple apps for installation is not completely unfettered. For now, there are just 48 apps to choose from, scattered over a sextuplet of categories. The reasons for the current limitations are not known right now, and the same is true in relation to why these particular apps have been singled out for special attention.
When you make use of the app selector, you can add up to 16 apps to your installation list at a time. This is a number that may change in the future, but Microsoft has not given any suggestion either way about this.
You can check out the web-based version of the Microsoft Store and try out the multi-app installation option here.