Windows 11 gets an easier way to restore previously used apps on your new computer

After years of waiting, Windows 11 users will soon be able to restore apps previously used on the computer when switching out their computer or reinstalling Windows. So far, the Microsoft software store has not offered this convenient feature familiar from phones and tablets. As a result, Windows users have had to manually reinstall apps from the Microsoft’s software store.

The automatic app restore feature will initially be available on the Windows 11 test version and after a successful trial period, it will soon be available in the regular Windows version as well. Restoring apps automatically is particularly useful for those who switch out their computer often and for developers using virtual devices and many different devices at the same time.
However, in order for the new feature to actually make the users’ life more convenient, Microsoft store will need to have more apps. At the moment, the majority of popular Windows apps are missing, which means that they still need to be installed manually. It is clear that Microsoft is actively working to address this concern. For example, adding apps to the store has been made much simpler for developers and agreements have been entered into with several major software manufacturers to bring their apps to the store.

Until now, a backup of the desktop together with documents and wallpapers stored in the cloud was restored when you logged in to Windows associated with your Microsoft account. Restoring apps will bring the Windows 11 user experience a step closer to the world of smartphones.

As another major update, Microsoft now allows developers to add Windows 11 widgets. Until now, these were limited to gadgets offered by Microsoft itself and lacked much useful apart from the weather forecast. But developers can now add a space to their apps to display current important information.