Store Pitfalls #2: Your App Title Is Too Descriptive — And Microsoft Will Flag It
2026-05-29
Tags: Windows · Microsoft Store · Store Pitfalls
Another day, another Store Pitfall.
What Happened
I submitted an app to the Microsoft Store. The Store listing title looked something like this:
MyApp - Feature A, Feature B & Feature C
Short, informative, tells the user exactly what the app does. Makes it easier to find in search, right?
Certification came back:
Status: Pass with required fix
10.1.1.1 Inaccurate Representation: Please provide a quality title that is informative and accurate for users.
The title contains excessive descriptive text.
Passed — but they want the title changed. And this was flagged across all language listings.
The Policy
Microsoft Store policy 10.1.1.1 states that your product title must not contain marketing or descriptive text, including extraneous use of keywords.
In plain terms: your app title should be your app name — not a mini description.
This catches a lot of developers off guard because stuffing keywords into the title feels like a natural thing to do. After all, other app stores are full of titles like "Weather Pro - Live Radar & Forecast". But Microsoft draws a harder line here.
Why It's Tempting
I get it. When you're a small indie app competing for visibility, you want to cram as much information as possible into every field. The title is the most visible piece of text — it shows up in search results, on the Store page. A descriptive title feels like free advertising.
And to be fair, you can find apps on the Microsoft Store with descriptive subtitles in their titles. Strictly speaking, though, this doesn't comply with the policy — and if your app gets flagged, you'll need to fix it.
What to Do Instead
Microsoft gives you dedicated fields for describing your app. Use them:
- Title — Just your app name. Clean and simple. e.g.
MyApp - Short description — A short one-liner. This is where you can say "Feature A & Feature B"
- Description — Full marketing pitch. Keywords, features, use cases — everything goes here
The title should be something people can remember and search for. The descriptive stuff belongs in the short description and description.
References
Microsoft has an official FAQ on choosing app names: How do I choose a great app name for the Microsoft Store?
Key points:
- Keep it short — titles can be up to 256 characters, but display space is limited and long names may be truncated
- Be original — choose a distinctive name that differentiates your app
- Don't use trademarked names — unless you have the rights
- Avoid trailing differentiators — version numbers or dates at the end may get cut off
- No emojis or special characters — the Store doesn't allow them in app names
The Takeaway
If you're preparing your Store listing:
- Keep the title as a standalone product name — no dashes, no feature lists, no keywords
- Use the short description and description fields for everything you wanted to put in the title
Honestly, a lot of developers only discover these policies after getting flagged or rejected. Reading up on the rules beforehand can save you a round trip.
Part of the Store Pitfalls series.