Products · Product
Microsoft Store
Raised as a usability problem by 50 people on Hacker News over 16 years (2011–2026), in 49 threads.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads in the last 5 years.
Every issue, all time, most people first
Good apps buried under spam, so they're hard to findUnreviewed
20112026- Search shows obscure apps and poor descriptions make it impossible to tell what apps do2021-06-24
- Good apps are buried in a sea of spam, so they're hard to find2021-01-05
- Good apps buried in clutter, so finding the right one takes work2014-02-02
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 50 complaints
- Store constantly fails to update apps, forcing manual uninstall and reinstall each time2026-07-07
- Store pressures users into believing they must log in2026-03-28
- Store permissions never seemed to line up with the APIs, confusing developers2026-01-05
- Changing language in options reverts to Japanese on OK, so English search is impossible2025-11-10
- Installing WSL and Terminal from the store is extremely slow and buggy2025-07-14
- Microsoft Store is a poor user experience as a software library client2025-05-19
- Took about 15 minutes to figure out how to install Windows Terminal; Microsoft's website was no help2025-05-13
- Scrolling ignored during animations; filters hidden and slow to reveal, clicks get misfired2025-05-02
- Text labels vanish on click, so users can't tell which section they're in2025-02-23
- Games from the Microsoft Store load slower than from other stores2023-10-20
- Store didn't recognise the DVD edition or license, forcing an hour of hunting for a hidden download link2023-01-16
- Store is too difficult to use, both as a user and as a developer2023-01-11
- Repeated sign-ins, slow store, unexplained install failures, and cryptic error codes2022-11-07
- Can't tell legitimate publisher apps from copycats; all listings look alike2022-09-29
- Pressing cancel on sign-in prompt downloads the app anyway2022-08-27
- People can't figure out how to install TeamViewer from the Microsoft Store2022-07-21
- Can't remove accidentally installed apps from account; no sorting in Store2022-06-23
- Accidental app installs can't be hidden or deleted from the account in the Store2022-03-14
- Store shows mixed languages; fixing it needs unintuitive reordering of Windows language preferences2022-03-11
- Interface and interactions are laggy and janky, making everyday use frustrating2022-02-22
- Store is full of bad UX and random bugs and glitches2022-01-19
- Installing apps like Python now forces a Microsoft account sign-in2021-11-20
- Store gives obtuse, unhelpful errors so troubleshooting a failed game install takes half an hour2021-10-20
- Initial Store version had horrible UX and dodgy state changes, slow to respond2021-06-25
- Hard to choose which hard drive apps install to2021-06-24
- Can't find Microsoft Teams in the app store2021-06-24
- Search shows obscure apps and poor descriptions make it impossible to tell what apps do2021-06-24
- Good apps are buried in a sea of spam, so they're hard to find2021-01-05
- Store is so poorly designed it seems built to drive users away2020-09-18
- Updates desync and fixing them requires hard-to-find manual wipe and reinstall2020-05-15
- Dialog only lets US addresses be selected, blocking purchase with a non-US address2020-04-18
- Store shows an incomprehensible error code instead of working or explaining when offline2020-02-25
- Storefronts are a snarl of broken technology with horrendous usability2019-06-11
- Store version of VLC has a terrible UI, UWP apps are too limited2019-05-11
- Can't remove an app from library without installing and then uninstalling it2018-05-22
- Hard to find real games among mobile apps, movies and controllers2018-02-15
- Store interface is a UI nightmare, so people avoid using it2017-07-25
- Search result page gives no clear reason the Get button is greyed out2017-07-11
- Can't tell which product to buy and gets interrupted by unwanted popups during checkout2017-03-18
- Free apps buried under scams and clones, and most games hard to install2016-06-07
- Bitcoin payment hidden behind a small unstyled link, hard to find2016-03-12
- Card deletion and addition did not sync until user logged out and back in2016-02-04
- Couldn't find a way to buy a Windows 7 licence; kept getting Windows 8.1 offers2015-08-11
- Reports of fake apps get generic responses or no action, with users told to leave reviews2015-02-13
- Good apps buried in clutter, so finding the right one takes work2014-02-02
- Cart cannot remove items, purchase took two hours and crashed2014-02-01
- Cancelling the account is confusing, with support transfers, a 404 link, and a 500 error in chat2013-08-13
- Clicking pay gives no response, then confusing errors and possible double charge2013-04-02
- Activity constantly interrupted by pushy sales staff while trying out devices2012-10-27
- Download page is near impossible to find2012-01-18