Install and uninstall apps

The Windows Store has tons of free, “try before you buy,” and paid apps you can install on your Surface with Windows RT. All you’ll need to get apps from the Windows Store is a Microsoft account and a connection to the Internet, and you're ready to:

• Explore the Windows Store for apps
• Install an app
• Install apps that you installed on other PCs
• Uninstall an app
• App updates
• More help with the Store

Important Surface RT only runs built-in apps or apps that you download from the Windows Store.

Search the Store by app title or keyword. Here’s how:

1. From the Start screen, tap or click Store.
2. Next, you can either:

• Just start typing while you are in the Store. You’ll see results that match your search.
  or
• Swipe in from the right-edge of the screen, tap or click Search, and then type what you’re looking for.

When you’ve found an app that interests you, tap or click its tile to get details and read reviews.

Tips

• To ensure that you can find apps that are available in your location, and that you see currencies and dates correctly, make sure the home location on your Surface RT is set to your country or region. See Why can’t I find or install a Windows Store app?
• The Store automatically hides apps that are incompatible with your Surface RT so that you don’t try to install apps that won’t run on it. This means you might see an app that's available in the Store on another PC, but the same app won’t display in Your Apps on Surface.

Discover a variety of great apps for Windows 8 in the Windows Store. To get apps from the Windows Store you need a Microsoft account and a connection to the Internet.

Sign in with your Microsoft account

To sign in or out of the Windows Store:

1. From the Start screen, tap or click Store.
2. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen and tap Settings, then tap or click Your account. Here you’ll see one of two things:

• A Sign in button—this means you’re not signed in to the Store. Tap or click Sign in and type your Microsoft account info (email and password).
• Your account information—this means you’re already signed in. Here you can add a payment method, sign in with a different account, and see the PCs associated with your account.

Find and install apps from the Windows Store

Here’s how to find and install apps from the Windows Store:

1. From the Start screen, tap or click Store.
2. Make sure you’re signed in with your Microsoft account (see previous section).
3. Find the app that you want to install, by doing one of the following:

• Drag your finger across the screen to browse apps. You can tap a category, such as Games, to see more apps.
• Type the name of the app you’re looking for. You’ll see results that match your search.
• Swipe in from the right-edge of the screen, tap or click the Search charm, and then type the app you’re looking for.

4. Tap or click an app to learn about it and read reviews.
5. Tap or click Buy, Try, or Install.

• Install is available if an app is free or you’ve already bought it.
• Try means a trial version of the app is available. You can try before you buy.
• Buy means that the app isn’t free and the price is shown. Apps that you buy are charged to the payment option associated with your Microsoft account. To add or change the payment option on your account, see Add or change a payment method.

After an app is installed, a tile for the app appears on the Start screen. For info about pinning and unpinning apps from the Start screen, see Customize the Start screen.

Notes

• To get help with the Store app, open the Settings charm (swipe in from the right while in the Store app) and then tap or click Help.
• If you can’t find or install an app, see Why can’t I find or install a Windows Store app?
• To see which apps are already installed on your Surface, swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen (or right-click), then tap or All apps. You’ll see a complete list of all of your apps, including those that aren’t pinned to your Start screen.

Once you install an app from the Store, you own it and it's yours to install on up to five PCs (regardless of whether the app is free or paid). If you installed apps on another Windows 8 or Windows RT PC, use the following steps to install the same apps on Surface.

1. From the Start screen, tap or click Store.
2. Make sure you’re signed in with the same Microsoft account that you used on your other PC (open the Settings charm, then tap or click Your account to see which account you’re signed in to).
3. Swipe down from the top of the screen (or right-click), and then tap or click Your apps from the top of the screen.
4. From the Apps not installed on this PC list, tap or click the apps you want to install.
5. Tap or click Install to install the selected apps.

Tips

• If you uninstall a built-in app, such as Music, you can reinstall it from the Store. Mail, Calendar, People, and Messaging appears in the Store as a single app.
• Office apps preinstalled on your Surface RT can’t be uninstalled.
• Don’t want to see every app you own on your Start screen? You can unpin an app from Start without uninstalling it from Surface. When you unpin an app, it’s still on your Surface, and you can always find it again with the Search charm.

Apps are periodically updated by app developers and the Store tile tells you when app updates are available. For example, a 4 on the Store tile means that four of your apps have updates available.

To install app updates:

1. From the Start screen, tap or click Store.
2. Tap or click Updates in the upper-right corner.
3. Tap or click Install.

1. From the Start screen, tap or click Store.
2. Open the Settings charm and then tap or click Help.

Still having trouble getting apps from the Windows Store? See Why can’t I find or install a Windows Store app?