Windows users have spotted an unannounced change in the Microsoft Store on Windows 11 and 10. Without much fanfare, the company introduced a new "System Components" badge to help customers understand the purpose of specific apps and elements when updating or browsing software in the Microsoft Store.
The Microsoft Store (now?) labels system components in Library, similar to the system app labels in Start > All apps rolling out in Dev builds. It sometimes goes away if you click the app in the list. pic.twitter.com/JX3fb71dKy
— PhantomOcean3 💙💛 (@PhantomOfEarth) August 7, 2023
You can check out the new indicator by launching the Microsoft Store and clicking the "Library" button. Image/video extensions and some inbox applications, mostly non-user-removable, will show up with the new "System Components" badge. Interestingly, Windows Web Experienced Pack, responsible for Windows Widgets and MSN News, still appears as a regular app.
You can also spot the new indicator when opening a specific listing, but clicking it for some reason opens the "Top free apps" section with third-party software.
Although Microsoft has yet to announce the updated store badging, it is easy to guess the reasoning behind the change. The company uses the Microsoft Store to update multiple Windows components, and a less experienced customer may not understand the purpose of a certain entry. The "System Components" label will provide a bit of clarity.
Microsoft will soon add a similar badge to other parts of Windows 11. The most recent preview builds contain a "System" tag in the Start menu for flagging stock applications. These badges are hardly groundbreaking, but they make the operating system more user-friendly and easier to understand.
Another change in the Microsoft Store is the recently announced AI Hub. The new section for applications leveraging the power of artificial intelligence is now available for all users, not only Windows insiders.