Microsoft Releases Preview Version of Desktop App Converter

Microsoft has released the Desktop App Converter announced at the Build conference in preview. Also known as Project Centennial, the tool gives developers the ability to turn desktop applications into a Universal Windows Platform app.

The tool converts Windows installation files as msi or exe to an appx package. An appx package ensures that a desktop application can be installed via the Windows Store, among other things. Old Windows software will then also have access to all Windows 10 APIs. According to Microsoft, there are more than sixteen million old .Net and Win32 applications that could be included in the Windows Store.

Other advantages are that it is possible to use sideloading and that programs leave no traces after installation. Developers can also add other uwp properties to the application, such as a xaml user interface and Live Tiles.

If you choose to place the functionality in an app container, the app can run on any Windows 10 device. As a Universal Windows App, a program can do the same thing as a classic desktop application, and can handle a virtual registry and a virtual file system that Microsoft believes are indistinguishable from the actual registry and file system. The app will be able to run in the automatic update system of the Windows Store, where only the updated parts of a file need to be downloaded and no longer the entire installation file.

At the Build conference, Microsoft demonstrated Age of Empires HD, which was converted to UWP, including Steam and mod support. It was not clear whether this was done with the App Converter. The game’s Live Tile showed how many people were playing online at the same time.

To run the preview of the Desktop App Converter, the Enterprise Edition of the Insider Preview 14316 of Windows is required.