File Acture from the Microsoft Store or the Website: Which Should You Get?
File Acture is in the Microsoft Store and on fileacture.com, and both install the same signed Windows app. Pro works the same way in both: you buy a license key on fileacture.com and enter it in the app, and File Acture keeps itself up to date either way.
Updated October 8, 20263 min read
By the File Acture team
File Acture for Windows is in the Microsoft Store as well as on fileacture.com. Both install the same signed setup, so you get the same app with the same tools either way.
Is the Microsoft Store version the same app?
Yes. The Microsoft Store runs the same File Acture installer that fileacture.com offers, signed by the same publisher. You get every tool and the 13 languages on Windows 10 version 1809 or later and Windows 11, 64-bit; on Windows 11, File Acture also appears in File Explorer’s right-click menu.
Your files are processed on your PC in both and never uploaded. The free version is the same too: every tool, 3 runs on each PC, up to 5 files per run.
How does File Acture stay up to date?
File Acture updates itself, whichever way you installed it. When a new version is out, it tells you as it starts: choose Download, and it installs the update and restarts. You can also check under Settings › Updates.
The Microsoft Store does not update apps of this kind, and it may install a slightly older version than the website offers. File Acture then suggests the newest one the first time it starts.
How do I get Pro in the Microsoft Store version?
The same way as in the website version: Pro is a license key from fileacture.com. Choose Buy Pro in the app or see pricing, sign in with your email and pay; the key appears right away, arrives by email and stays in your account.
Then open the Pro window, for example with Settings › License › Buy Pro…, paste the key under Already have a key? and choose Activate. One license activates one device, Windows PC or Mac.
Which one should you choose?
Either one. Install from the Microsoft Store if you like getting your apps there, or download from fileacture.com to start with the newest version right away. Afterwards it is the same app, with the same license key and the same updates.
If the Microsoft Store is turned off on your PC, as it is on some work computers, download File Acture from fileacture.com instead.
How to install File Acture from the Microsoft Store
- 1
Open the Microsoft Store
Open the Microsoft Store from the Start menu and search for File Acture, or click the Microsoft Store badge on fileacture.com.
- 2
Install it
Click Get or Install, then confirm when Windows asks whether the installer may make changes to your PC.
- 3
Update if asked
Open File Acture from the Start menu. If it tells you a newer version is available, choose Download.
- 4
Try it free
Drop files on a tool. The free version gives you 3 runs on this PC, up to 5 files each.
- 5
Activate Pro
To remove the limits, buy a license key on fileacture.com, paste it in the Pro window under Already have a key? and choose Activate.
Try every File Acture tool free on your PC.
Free to try · runs on your PC
| Topic | Microsoft Store | fileacture.com |
|---|---|---|
| The app | The same signed installer | The same signed installer |
| Version installed first | The one listed in the Store | The newest one |
| Updates | From the app itself | From the app itself |
| Pro | License key from fileacture.com | License key from fileacture.com |
Questions
Is the Microsoft Store version free?
Installing it is free, and its free version is the same as the website’s: every tool, 3 runs on each PC, up to 5 files per run. Pro is sold on fileacture.com.
Does my license key work in the Microsoft Store version?
Yes. It is the same app, so a key from fileacture.com activates Pro in it. One license activates one device.
Why is the Store version older than the website’s?
The Store keeps the version that was submitted to it and does not update apps like File Acture. File Acture updates itself: it suggests the newest version when it starts.
Does the right-click menu work on Windows 10?
No, the File Acture entry in File Explorer’s right-click menu needs Windows 11. On Windows 10, open files with File Acture from the Open with menu, or drop them on the app.
Is File Acture in the Mac App Store too?
Yes. There, Pro is an in-app purchase with an Apple Account and works only in the App Store version; see Mac App Store or website.