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Guide: Adding Win10 Store Apps as Non-Steam Games to Steam

Before we begin:

I know.

I know that Win10 Store is the greatest threat to mankind and that many of you will try to come in here and moan about what idiots some of us are for falling for the win10 store. This guide (and thread) is for us who have sold our souls for $.10 twin stick halo games and Ukrainian Tomb Raiding. Shoo, Shoo, we already know we suck, let us deal with it.

----------------------------------------------------

4310307.jpg

So you woke up today and decided to do something that MS never thought you'd try: to add your Win10 apps to Steam. Well, you'll discover damn near instantly that this shit isn't simple. Steam will keep farting out catastrophic failures one after the other until you decide that this minute or two of your life has been thoroughly wasted. Well, buddy, have I got good news for you! If you have another few minutes of your time still free and aren't already fucking up puzzles in The Witness or walking around with a confiscated stereo in Firewatch then I've got a guide that should take care of you just fine.

First, a few notes. I could be totally wrong about the following and truthfully I haven't fucked around with this Win10 stuff for these things to be definitive but i'll post the following anyhow to avoid having to answer any questions:
  • Win10 apps do not play well with BPM. As a matter of fact, BPM seems useless with Win10 stuff
  • This also includes everyone's favorite customizable pad, the Steam Controller. Win10 apps AFAIK can only detect it in its very basic mode. Configs do not appear to work
  • Last, and again AFAIK, Win10 apps all open in windowed mode. You can set them to fullscreen by hitting a icon on the bar at the top. If there's a way to force fullscreen then cool, i honestly haven't looked into it.

So, now that all that has been taken care of: Let's get to work! Before we do, i'd like to credit this guide and this guide from which i will pull bits from to cobble this thing together. They deserve a majority of the credit for this, i'm just putting it together and like adding another 5-10% of my own tips. I'll be pulling from them verbatim in parts from here on out because i'm lazy...

So first things first, let's create the bat to exe conversion tool. Open up Notepad and paste the following code:
Code:
 ;@echo off
; rem https://github.com/npocmaka/batch.scripts/edit/master/hybrids/iexpress/bat2exeIEXP.bat
;if "%~2" equ "" (
; echo usage: %~nx0 batFile.bat target.Exe
;)
;set "target.exe=%__cd__%%~2"
;set "batch_file=%~f1"
;set "bat_name=%~nx1"
;set "bat_dir=%~dp1"

;copy /y "%~f0" "%temp%\2exe.sed" >nul

;(echo()>>"%temp%\2exe.sed"
;(echo(AppLaunched=cmd.exe /c "%bat_name%")>>"%temp%\2exe.sed"
;(echo(TargetName=%target.exe%)>>"%temp%\2exe.sed"
;(echo(FILE0="%bat_name%")>>"%temp%\2exe.sed"
;(echo([SourceFiles])>>"%temp%\2exe.sed"
;(echo(SourceFiles0=%bat_dir%)>>"%temp%\2exe.sed"
;(echo([SourceFiles0])>>"%temp%\2exe.sed"
;(echo(%%FILE0%%=)>>"%temp%\2exe.sed"


;iexpress /n /q /m %temp%\2exe.sed

;del /q /f "%temp%\2exe.sed"
;exit /b 0

[Version]
Class=IEXPRESS
SEDVersion=3
[Options]
PackagePurpose=InstallApp
ShowInstallProgramWindow=0
HideExtractAnimation=1
UseLongFileName=1
InsideCompressed=0
CAB_FixedSize=0
CAB_ResvCodeSigning=0
RebootMode=N
InstallPrompt=%InstallPrompt%
DisplayLicense=%DisplayLicense%
FinishMessage=%FinishMessage%
TargetName=%TargetName%
FriendlyName=%FriendlyName%
AppLaunched=%AppLaunched%
PostInstallCmd=%PostInstallCmd%
AdminQuietInstCmd=%AdminQuietInstCmd%
UserQuietInstCmd=%UserQuietInstCmd%
SourceFiles=SourceFiles

[Strings]
InstallPrompt=
DisplayLicense=
FinishMessage=
FriendlyName=-
PostInstallCmd=<None>
AdminQuietInstCmd=
UserQuietInstCmd=

Now save that file as "bat2exe.bat" please make sure you use the quotes so that it saves as a bat file, not as a txt file.

Next, let's create a bat file that opens your windows app. To do this, open notepad and type "start " followed by the name of the app you're trying to start. The name is not always obvious, so follow these steps to figure out what your Win10 app is actually called. There might be a faster and better way of doing this but meh.

  • Hit Start and select Settings. Then, select the following
  • System
  • Default apps
  • Choose default apps by protocol
It should look like this:
IJxphGy.png

Then, you should see the following:


So, what you want is whatever is in the first line of your app under "Name". So in this case, if for some godforsaken reason you wanted to add Windows Media Player, its Name is DLNA-PLAYSINGLE.

Now that we have the name of the app (we'll keep using the WMP name for the rest of this guide) we need to create another bat file. Here's what you would type:

Code:
Start DLNA-PLAYSINGLE:

Super important that you add the : at the end or else this won't work! Now, save this file as WinApp.bat (no spaces in the name!) and remember the quotes around it again so you don't end up with a txt. Put this in the same folder as your bat2exe file. If you want to test it out, go ahead and double-click your bat to make sure the app you wanted to launch actually launches.

Now we need to open a command prompt. You can do this by pressing start and typing "cmd". Open the command prompt and navigate to where you saved your bat files. For most, that's the desktop:

Code:
cd C:\Users\shortsFortallPeople\Desktop\

now your command prompt should be pointed at that location, so you can put the following:

Code:
bat2exe.bat WinApp.bat WinApp.exe

This will create a new exe named "WinApp.exe" that executes the code from your bat file, "WinApp.bat". Now, if you fucked up somewhere, you'll still get a file spit out BUT it won't be an exe file. That file won't work! Make sure to follow all the steps until an exe file is produced!

There you go! Now you have an exe that will launch your windows app. You can add that to steam just like any other exe (game>add a non steam game to your library>browse...).

See, that wasn't so bad, right? Right?!?!
 

TimmiT

Member
This is really useful. I haven't bought any Windows Store games but I might at some point if Microsoft isn't going to release their own games outside of it. Thanks for making this.
 
Doest this make playing with steam controller possible? Thank you.

It's in the guide, it only reads the controller in lizard mode or whatever you want to call it when it's in its non-steam mode. It won't read it as an xinput controller, for example, and you can't use configs with win10 stuff at all
 
Doest this make playing with steam controller possible? Thank you.

READ THE OP.

Here's a better question. This works if your Windows Store program has its own protocol. Do all of them have such? Can someone with, haha, Ukrainian Tomb Raider check?

DLNA-PLAYSINGLE sounds like actually sensible functionality I mean
 

GHG

Member
Fucking hell.

Is it wrong that I laughed while reading through the OP?

I mean... It shoudlnt have to be like this in the first place.
 

Shari

Member
As far as I remember reading Steam Overlay doesn't work with it. This is just for allowing you to have it in your library and launch it.

It's in the guide, it only reads the controller in lizard mode or whatever you want to call it when it's in its non-steam mode. It won't read it as an xinput controller, for example, and you can't use configs with win10 stuff at all

I didnt know controller compatibility was bound to the overlay, what a pitty. Thanks for your answers.

READ THE OP.

Lean some respect. Im not interested on the tutorial, I wanted an answer on an specific question and this is a discussion board.

Fucking hell.

Is it wrong that I laughed while reading through the OP?

I mean... It shoudlnt have to be like this in the first place.

No its not wrong, that's my exact reaction. I was hoping for a two-line tutorial but the investment on this for the return is ridiculous.
 

StudioTan

Hold on, friend! I'd love to share with you some swell news about the Windows 8 Metro UI! Wait, where are you going?
Great guide, thanks!
 

harSon

Banned
Why do you have to do all of that?

1) Go to your Program Files, click the 'View' tab at the top of your window and select 'Hidden Items'

2) You'll now see a WindowsApp folder. Double click it and it'll say you don't have the permissions. Follow these directions.

3) Go to an explorer bar and type in: %windir%\explorer.exe shell:::{4234d49b-0245-4df3-b780-3893943456e1} Press Enter, find the Windows App you're looking for and make a shortcut on your desktop.

4) Download this bat to exe converter: http://download.cnet.com/Bat-To-Exe-Converter-Portable/3000-2069_4-10555897.html

5) Open a text document, type in:
Code:
@echo off
start [file path]
The path will be something .lnk

6) Go to File > Save As > Change Save as Type to 'All Files' > Change file name to [FileName].bat > Save

7) Open up the bat to exe converter and convert that .bat file to exe
 

Archaix

Drunky McMurder
Jesus christ. This thread has made me go from indifferent to running away in terror from ever touching the Windows store.
 
Jesus christ. This thread has made me go from indifferent to running away in terror from ever touching the Windows store.

Why?

I mean seriously, why would "Launching Win10 store stuff from Steam is tricky" make you not use the store?

You can just hit start, type the first few letters of the game name, and run it.
Or launch it from your start menu.
Or pin it to takbar.

And so on and so on.

Yeah, it's (too) fiddly to add to the Steam UI but I don't get your train of thought at all.
 

Archaix

Drunky McMurder
Why?

I mean seriously, why would "Launching Win10 store stuff from Steam is tricky" make you not use the store?

You can just hit start, type the first few letters of the game name, and run it.
Or launch it from your start menu.
Or pin it to takbar.

And so on and so on.

Yeah, it's (too) fiddly to add to the Steam UI but I don't get your train of thought at all.


Or, I could just not deal with this bullshit and ignore the Windows Store. I'll go with that.
 
FYI this is like a 5 minute process tops and the first time is the longest time. Once you have the bat files setup it's a lot smoother for adding new apps.

the guide is just long because i wanted to be pretty thorough about this stuff to eliminate any possible bumps in the road.

and there's the win10 store whining i was trying to avoid. meh.
 

Nzyme32

Member
Before we begin:

I know.

I know that Win10 Store is the greatest threat to mankind and that many of you will try to come in here and moan about what idiots some of us are for falling for the win10 store. This guide (and thread) is for us who have sold our souls for $.10 twin stick halo games and Ukrainian Tomb Raiding. Shoo, Shoo, we already know we suck, let us deal with it

What a melodrama

Presumably it would be trivial for Valve to add an "Add Windows 10 app" button and take a lot of that gumph away.

Yeah, presumably you could script the process somehow so it wasn't a chore to do if you had a lot of them.
 
Or, I could just not deal with this bullshit and ignore the Windows Store. I'll go with that.

But, again, why?

Just because you can't add it to Steam easily?

Bonkers IMO... cutting off nose to spite face.

edit: Do you use any software that isn't a game? If so have you added all that to the Steam UI, or do you also ignore all other software (mail, web browser, Office apps, whatever).
 

Nzyme32

Member
But, again, why?

Just because you can't add it to Steam easily?

Bonkers IMO... cutting off nose to spite face.

UWA are restrictive compared to Win32 programs. That is enough of a good reason for some to want to stay away. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that stance
 
UWA are restrictive compared to Win32 programs. That is enough of a good reason for some to want to stay away. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that stance

I was replying to someone who said he'd avoid the windows store because he couldn't easily add stuff to the steam ui, not for any of the other reasons.
 

FX-GMC

Member
My life will never at any point be worse for not using the Windows store. I'll be fine.

Nah, but you could spare us all the unnecessary drama. This thread is for people who want to launch Windows Store games through Steam. You are not one of those people. Bye now.
 
When you say it recognises the Steam controller in it's "basic" mode, what exactly does that mean? Does it recognise whatever desktop config you have setup for it?

Wondering if changing your desktop config to keyboard bindings that work in-game could be a possible solution.
 
When you say it recognises the Steam controller in it's "basic" mode, what exactly does that mean? Does it recognise whatever desktop config you have setup for it?

Wondering if changing your desktop config to keyboard bindings that work in-game could be a possible solution.

Like i said, i haven't dug too deep into this stuff. this was just me this weekend, bored in the morning while my wife slept, having just finished a clean install of windows 10 and coming off that nerd high deciding i would give this a shot.

If you figure something about that would make it work then let me know and i would be more than happy to add it to the OP.
 
Like i said, i haven't dug too deep into this stuff. this was just me this weekend, bored in the morning while my wife slept, having just finished a clean install of windows 10 and coming off that nerd high deciding i would give this a shot.

If you figure something about that would make it work then let me know and i would be more than happy to add it to the OP.

Hmm, I would like to test it. I don't own anything on there at the moment but would be ok with using it if there was some way to get a Steam controller working. Let me see what's cheap on there at the moment.
 
Hmm, I would like to test it. I don't own anything on there at the moment but would be ok with using it if there was some way to get a Steam controller working. Let me see what's cheap on there at the moment.

Lara Croft GO is .99 if youre willing to part with a dollar FYI. It doesn't have Xinput support though, not sure if that's something youre looking for
 

topplehat

Member
Would be really cool if Microsoft allowed an easier path for this. I don't mind buying from the Windows Store at all, but I do enjoy using my Steam Link.
 
Lara Croft GO is .99 if youre willing to part with a dollar FYI. It doesn't have Xinput support though, not sure if that's something youre looking for

Yeah, that's what I decided to buy actually. What I was looking for was whether you could use the Steam controller in desktop mode and have it recognised by Windows 10 apps. It seems like the answer to that is yes, at least with Lara Croft GO.

In theory, you should be able to set your Steam controller desktop config to keyboard and mouse bindings relevant to whatever Windows 10 game you are playing and have it work fine. I need to test it with something more complicated but GO was recognising the trackpad as a mouse, trigger as left click and the start button as ESC, but that's kind of all that game uses.
 

Genio88

Member
Why on earth would i even bother to do such a thing? being able to don't have Steam running on background is one of the best thing about buying games on Windows 10 store, also on those games you can easily use the Xbox game DVR to take high quality screenshots, record videos and also use the Xbox record that feature that record the last 30 seconds of game, all without having to use other software but what you already have installed on your OS... what's would Steam exactly add to my experience???
 

Omikaru

Member
I found adding Origin games to Steam enough of a ballache that I don't buy many games on that service (though a handful are worth the effort). At least those work in BPM and with the Steam Controller. This all but ensures I won't bother buying Windows 10 Store games until I can launch them via Big Picture and play them with my Steam Controller, since my setup pretty much depends on those two things.

Why can't Microsoft make things like this easy?
 
Why on earth would i even bother to do such a thing? being able to don't have Steam running on background is one of the best thing about buying games on Windows 10 store, also on those games you can easily use the Xbox game DVR to take high quality screenshots, record videos and also use the Xbox record that feature that record the last 30 seconds of game, all without having to use other software but what you already have installed on your OS... what's would Steam exactly add to my experience???
The overlay, friends list, and launching a game from a client that more people likely already have open.
 
Would be really cool if Microsoft allowed an easier path for this. I don't mind buying from the Windows Store at all, but I do enjoy using my Steam Link.

You can't use Steam Link with this. Steam will run the exe that launches your app, but then the exe finishes running and Steam also thinks that the game is finished and won't show you a thing.
 

StudioTan

Hold on, friend! I'd love to share with you some swell news about the Windows 8 Metro UI! Wait, where are you going?
What a melodrama

UWA are restrictive compared to Win32 programs. That is enough of a good reason for some to want to stay away. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that stance

Call the OP melodramatic for putting in that he understands some people don't like W10 store, goes on to post about why he doesn't like the W10 store 3 posts later.
 
You can't use Steam Link with this. Steam will run the exe that launches your app, but then the exe finishes running and Steam also thinks that the game is finished and won't show you a thing.

In the other thread someone already explained how to get steam link to work, I believe.
 
Not to defend the UWA structure, but this is actually a fundamental flaw of the Steam Controller, not the Windows Store.

i was just trying to nip that question in the bud, really. Wasn't casting blame at either Valve or MS for how functional the controller is or isn't with win10 stuff, just stating what i observed when going through this.
 
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