Sideloading WinUI applications with MSIX

In this section, we will create an MSIX package for a WinUI project and learn how to sideload it on Windows 10. When you sideload an application, you install it directly with the MSIX UI or with PowerShell commands. This method of installation is important to understand as it is frequently used by enterprises to distribute applications internally.

We are going to start by creating a package for sideloading.

Creating an MSIX package for sideloading

In this section, we will create a package for a WinUI project with Visual Studio. You can start by either opening an existing WinUI project or by creating a new, empty WinUI project. I have created a new project named ProjectTracker. Proceed as follows:

1. First, right-click the project in Solution Explorer and select Publish | Create App Packages.
2. On the Select distribution method screen of the Create App Packages window, leave the Sideloading radio button and Enable automatic updates...