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Universal Windows Platform apps

file format for applications built upon the Universal Windows Platform and used across compatible Microsoft Windows systems

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 9, 2026
Entity authorityQ16829782 ↗
Source-derived summary

Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps (formerly named Windows Store apps, Metro-style apps and Modern apps) are applications that are built on the Universal Windows Platform. They are primarily purchased and downloaded via the Microsoft Store, Microsoft's digital application storefront and can be used across all compatible Microsoft Windows devices since Windows 8. UWP stopped most new feature development in October 2021, but toolchain and other updates continue to be made.

Nomenclature

Starting with Windows 10, Microsoft initially used the term "Windows app" to describe Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps. These were applications that could be installed from the Microsoft Store, previously known as the Windows Store. Initially, these apps were called "Trusted Windows Store apps," and later they were referred to as "Trusted Microsoft Store apps." Traditional programs designed to run on desktop computers were referred to as "desktop apps."

With the release of the Windows 10, version 1903, there was a shift in the terminology. Microsoft began using the term "Apps" to refer to both UWP apps and desktop apps indiscriminately. This change aimed to unify the naming convention for all types of applications.

Note that UWP is primarily used in Microsoft's developer documentation to specifically refer to the platform itself. Microsoft also introduced the term "Windows Runtime app" retrospectively to describe the precursors of UWP apps, as there was previously no clear and unambiguous name for them.

Editorial summary

“Universal Windows Platform apps” enters the record as file format for applications built upon the Universal Windows Platform and used across compatible Microsoft Windows systems. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Universal, Windows and Platform can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2021, 1903—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Universal, Windows and Platform.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Universal Windows Platform apps” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Universal, Windows and Platform provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q16829782. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2021 and 1903.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Universal Windows Platform apps”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Universal Windows Platform apps primary sources, Universal Windows Platform apps archive and Universal research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Universal Windows Platform apps”?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Universal Windows Platform apps” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.