In brief: Windows PC users up to this point that wanted to download Firefox had to do it through traditional methods - that is, downloading the client and installing it. To make it simpler, Mozilla now gives users the option to download the browser via Windows Store as a one-click installation.
It seems that Microsoft's new approach to its app store is getting results. Earlier this year, the tech giant announced it was increasing developers' revenue split to attract more of them to its platform. Months later, the company updated its store policies to allow third-parties like Steam, Epic Games and Amazon to host their apps in the store.
The new policies allowed Mozilla to launch the Firefox browser in the Microsoft Store, becoming the first major browser to hit the digital storefront. Like the versions obtained via traditional methods, the Microsoft Store version of Firefox will include all the latest browser features.
Microsoft's old policies demanded that any browser available in its storefront would have to use the Blink rendering engine. Firefox uses the Gecko engine, meaning that to make it available in the Microsoft Store, Mozilla would have to rewrite its browser. However, that's no longer the case with the updated store policies.
Firefox 94 was the latest version to release, which introduced Firefox Colorways, a new way to customize your experience by offering a palette of 18 themes to choose from. These themes will only be available in Firefox 94 and 95, but any previously installed colorway will still be accessible through "Add-ons and Themes" on Firefox 96 and later.
To check the available colorways, open Firefox, select the three-bar icon on the top right corner and select "Add-ons and Themes". Once there, open the "Themes" tab and scroll down until you find the 18 colorways.
Mozilla Firefox is now available to download through the Microsoft Store on Windows 10 and 11.