Remember the new Windows 11 App Restore via OOBE? Microsoft is improving it

Back in May with Dev channel build 23466, Microsoft debuted a new Backup app on Windows 11. The new app is meant to help transition from an older PC to a new one without losing data or user preferences. The app has app pinning capabilities such that the applications where users had left them would appear on the Taskbar and the Start Menu. Backed-up apps could be restored via the Out of box experience (OOBE) when setting up the new Windows PC.

Today, the tech giant is improving the Backup app such that it now supports even more types of applications, and app pins for desktop apps that weren't installed from the Microsoft Store will also be supported from now on. This will be done by redirecting users to the web such that the installer for that particular application can be downloaded over the web.

Microsoft says:

Restore for more apps
Adding to the capabilities of the backup and restore improvements we announced in May, this build extends support to even more types of apps. Users will now see pins for their desktop app restored on the taskbar and Start Menu, including desktop apps that were not installed from the Microsoft Store.

Desktop apps that are available in the Microsoft Store can be restored by clicking on the app pin to get started. For apps that aren’t available in the Microsoft Store, you’ll be directed to the web to download the installer.

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To try out this experience, both the backup and restore devices need to be updated to this build. Once you’re backed up either via the new Windows Backup app or by visiting Accounts/Windows Backup in settings, you can try out the new restore during the out-of-box-experience (OOBE) when setting up a new PC or by resetting an existing PC (Settings → System → Recovery → Reset this PC) with this build.

Aside from app restore and backup, Build 23493 also comes with many more changes and you can read about it in its separate article here.

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