The Windows Store will be the one destination for everything

May 4, 2015 09:32 GMT  ·  By

In Windows 10, developers can easily port their Google Chrome browser extensions to work in Microsoft Edge with only small tweaks, so Internet Explorer’s replacement will benefit from a higher customization level and enhanced functionality with the help of third-party add-ons.

There are many details that still need to be addressed by Microsoft as far as its new Edge browser is concerned, and one of them is definitely the way the company is planning to offer these extensions to users.

Sean Lyndersay, Program Manager, Microsoft Edge at Microsoft Corporation, revealed at BUILD 2015 that extensions that would work in the new Windows 10 browser would be available through the store, so everyone looking for such content would only have to access a new category that would host Chrome extensions tweaked to run in Edge.

The idea is as simple as it could be: with Windows 10, the Windows Store becomes the one destination for everything, so it does make sense for the company to offer these extensions though this channel.

One store on all platforms

What’s more, the universal app concept finally makes it possible for Microsoft to bring together all of its platforms, so the new Windows 10 Store will be available not only on PCs but also on tablets and smartphones.

As a result, most of the content available in the store will be aimed at all devices, with Microsoft recently confirming that the browser extensions working on Edge will also be offered to phone users. It did, however, add that making this feature ready takes a little bit more time because of the additional work that’s needed to make it possible for extensions to run smoothly on smaller screens.

Extensions won’t be included in Windows 10 RTM, but they will arrive at some point in the future, once development is completed. No deadline has been provided until now.