Each company sweeps for themselves, as is obvious. Especially in everything related to application stores. Microsoft, for example, has always been against offering users browsers that use engines other than its own. And this is the reason why we cannot find browsers like Google Chrome or Firefox in the Microsoft Store. Not even the new Edge, which now uses a different engine, is distributed through Microsoft’s own app store. However, for an unknown reason, an expected browser has just landed on the Microsoft Store: Chromium.
Chromium is Google’s OpenSource browser, the foundation on which Google Chrome, Edge and many other web browsers are built. This is one of the engines with the highest market share, as it is one of the ones that offers the best compatibility and performance to users. In addition, since it is an open source browser, it allows any developer to use it as a basis to create their own browser, and modify it at will, being able to take advantage of the compatibility with the webs and, above all, with Google extensions.
Since the launch of Windows 10, users have been looking for a good browser in the Microsoft Store that allows them to surf the net while taking advantage of the security and performance benefits of UWP apps . However, due to Microsoft’s policies regarding its store, this has been impossible. And the few browsers that managed to sneak into the store were very low quality, and even fake.
But all this has changed, and it is that in a few minutes, Chromium has landed in the Microsoft Store . And any Windows 10 user can download it for free .
Chromium UWP for Windows 10
A few moments ago a version of Chromium for Windows 10 appeared in the Microsoft Store. As you can read in the description of the store, this version is a port based on Chromium 78.0.3903.0 . Using the original code of the program, it has been packaged inside an MSIX, which has been uploaded to the store, and from what it seems, it has passed the security controls until it is available to everyone.
Any user with Windows 10 can download this browser for free, which we can access from here, or from the following plugin .
Official? The important thing is that it works
Obviously, it is not an official Chromium , since it was not Google who uploaded it, but a group of developers known as Store Ports. This group of users is in charge of packaging classic Win32 applications to take them to the Microsoft Store. Thanks to this, these apps can be easily downloaded and updated from the Windows app store itself. And it will even allow us to use unthinkable applications, like this Chromium, in a Windows 10 with Mode S activated.
When we run Chromium UWP , we can see how the Windows firewall detects the Internet connection attempt. What catches our attention is the author’s signature, since it appears as “The Chromium Authors”.
The browser works flawlessly, as downloaded and installed in Win32 format. All Chromium functions and features are available. In addition, we can take advantage of the security, performance and updates advantages that the Windows 10 store offers us.
We do not know if this is a bug, or if Microsoft has relaxed its browser policies. This browser may disappear in a few hours, or it may not. But what is certain is that, if we download it, we can have it on hand whenever we need it.
Therefore, whether official or not, we recommend downloading what will probably be the first non-Microsoft browser to land on the Microsoft Store . And we hope that, little by little, more alternatives will arrive.
