MicrosoftTips & Deals

Windows 8 Tip: Find more content in the Windows Store and media apps

Windows Store Tip - for some reason we don't have an alt tag here

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had a number of people mention to me that they’ve had trouble finding things in some of the Windows 8 apps. Specifically, apps on the Windows Store and content in media apps like Xbox Music, Xbox Video, and Xbox Games. While searching for things always seemed to work, the content accessible via simple browsing seemed to be very limited. When I mentioned that there were more than 20,000 apps in the Windows Store, one person flat-out refused to believe me. After talking with them for a few minutes, I discovered the source of the problem. They didn’t aware of how to browse all of the content available.

This, of course, is due to the way the content in the media apps is presented. The Windows Store, for example, is separated into various categories, each of which highlights a number of featured apps and includes links to things like Top Free and New Releases. In order to view all of the apps in that category, you have to click/tap on the header. The same also goes for Xbox Music, allowing you to view your entire collection and browse the marketplace; Xbox Video, providing access to the same views as Xbox Music; Xbox Games, giving you access to your entire friends list, the Windows Games Store, and more; and many other apps.

Now, you’re probably saying “William, of course that’s how it works. Isn’t it obvious?” And, in fact, I thought the same thing until recently. But in talking to people who aren’t technology enthusiasts, I’ve learned that it might not be all that obvious for some people. This tip is for them. And if you’re someone who’s just now learning this, don’t feel bad – it looks deceptively like a simple header.

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William Devereux

William Devereux is the former Microsoft editor at Pocketables, as well as a Microsoft MVP and SkyDrive/Outlook.com Insider. As his title implies, he wrote about all things from Redmond, including Windows 8 and Windows Phone. He is currently carrying a Windows Phone 8X by HTC and a Microsoft Surface with Windows RT tablet.

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