How do I backup and restore Windows Store apps?

I'm planning on doing fresh install but my internet isn't the best and so I want to backup my bigger Windows Store apps so I don't have to re-download them later (mostly games). Is there some kind of method to get a copy of them and then put them back later?

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Hi jkbf,

I did some checking and found the below article. Perhaps it might be of some help to you.

b1rd

How to Backup Apps Data in Windows 8.1, Windows 10

Hi jkbf,

I did some checking and found the below article. Perhaps it might be of some help to you.

b1rd

How to Backup Apps Data in Windows 8.1, Windows 10

Yeah, I tried it too, but unfortunately the program doesn't work with Windows 10

Hello jkbf,

If you login with a Microsoft account and use OneDrive then effectively you have a cloud record of your W10 settings & preferences and settings for all the apps that you have installed and therefore when you login to a clean install and download the apps from the store your settings will be reapplied. I know that this is not quite what you are looking for but may go some way towards it.

The other option is for you to do a repair install without losing anything. Have a look at this tutorial:

Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade

...but unfortunately the program doesn't work with Windows 10

Yeah, I just played around with it too, using various compatibility modes, with no luck either- sorry.

When I first saw this question and saw that it's been over week and still no replies, I was curious as to why. It would seem like it would be an easy fix. However, when I did some more checking, it guess it's not. I would have even guessed that there was a built in method, similar to the old 'Files & Settings Transfer Wizard, from days past.

Well, good luck.

b1rd

Hello jkbf,

If you login with a Microsoft account and use OneDrive then effectively you have a cloud record of your W10 settings & preferences and settings for all the apps that you have installed and therefore when you login to a clean install and download the apps from the store your settings will be reapplied. I know that this is not quite what you are looking for but may go some way towards it.

The other option is for you to do a repair install without losing anything. Have a look at this tutorial:

Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade[2]=Installation and Setup

Thanks for the reply! It's good to know that app settings get carried over via OneDrive. But I am asking this because I have a very limited capped internet. Redownloading the huge games would eat up my cap quickly and I'm trying to conserve it.

As for doing a repair install, my main goal of doing a full reformat is to clear out the gunk that Windows has accumulated over time. I'm afraid doing just a repair install will still leave those files around.

EDIT: And also it says this on there:
In Windows 10, this feature no longer preserves user-acquired Windows apps.
So yeah...

Yeah, I just played around with it too, using various compatibility modes, with no luck either- sorry.

When I first saw this question and saw that it's been over week and still no replies, I was curious as to why. It would seem like any easy fix. However, when I did some more checking, it guess it's not. I would have even guessed that there was a built in method, similar to the old 'Files & Transfer Wizard, from days past.

Well, good luck,

b1rd

Yeah, Android has apps that let me back up my APK files from the Play Store and it installs without problems. It sucks that there's no native way to do it. I was hoping since this is the Windows 10 blog, someone here might know of a trick to do it and just aren't bothering writing up a tutorial since nobody seems to be looking for it.