Microsoft: There are nearly 1,000 converted UWP desktop apps in the Store

During a breakout session at the Microsoft Build conference today John Sheehan, Distinguished Engineer on the Windows team, discussed the status of Project Centennial a.k.a. the Desktop Bridge.

While more news and advancements of the Bridge are coming later today, Sheehan did report that Microsoft has been overwhelmed with interest. Currently, there are nearly 1,000 converted desktop apps in the Store according to Sheehan noting that developer response was "overwhelming."

Announced just over eight months ago, Project Centennial lets developers repackage "classic" Win32 desktop apps for the Universal Windows Platform (UWP). The conversion allows companies put their apps in the Windows Store, leverage in-app purchases, and ensure a better user experience.

The original Centennial team was reportedly tiny last year but is growing due to high demand and interest from developers.

Stay tuned later today for more information about what's new with the Desktop Bridge.

Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.