This new Windows 11 feature makes it easier to find your favorite apps and updates

What you need to know

• The Microsoft Store will soon feature a search box in its Library section.
• The Library section of the Microsoft Store shows your installed apps and any application you've installed on a device connected to your Microsoft account
• The search box is part of a gradual rollout among Insiders, so it may be a while before it becomes generally available.

Microsoft has a new feature in the works that will make it easier to find your favorite apps on Windows 11. The tech giant is testing a search box within the Library section of the Microsoft Store, allowing you to search for specific apps that you have installed on your PC or that you've installed previously on any device connected to your Microsoft account. The feature should simplify the process of finding apps you've used in the past and checking for updates for specific apps.

The change was spotted by Phantomofearth on X. That post clarifies that the search box can appear in Windows 11 version 22406.1401.1.0 or later. The change appears to be part of a gradual rollout, so you may not see the search box even if you are running the latest Insider build of Windows 11.

The search box is a welcome addition, albeit it a confusing one due to it only entering testing in 2024.

Better late than never

The Microsoft Store's lack of a search box for your app Library has always been a strange omission. The Library section of the Microsoft Store shows all of your installed apps as well as any apps you've installed previously on any device connected to your Microsoft account. It seems likely that the Library would consist of the app's you're most interested in, considering you were intrigued enough at some point to install the app on a PC.

When I set up a new PC, I often search for my favorite apps I've used on other PCs. I wouldn't want to simply sync all of my app installations across devices, since my workflow changes from PC to PC. For example, I wouldn't install a video editor on a lightweight tablet I never use with a keyboard and mouse. The new search box should make it easier to find apps without having to sift through the entire Microsoft Store's catalogue of applications.

The Library section of the Microsoft Store also allows you to access apps that are no longer searchable in the store but that you installed previously. For example, I can still install Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile through my Library in the Microsoft Store. You can't find those apps by searching through the Microsoft Store in 2024.