Open a developer account in Partner Center

Follow the steps below to open a developer account in Partner Center so you can publish your Windows app.

Note

In some cases, the screens and fields you see when you register for a developer account may vary slightly from what's outlined in the following steps. But the basic information and process will match what these steps describe.

Note

There is a known issue where users in some locales might be unable to finish completing their registration. Until we can confirm that it is resolved, we recommend that you manually change your browser's locale tag to en-us once you begin the sign-up process on partner.microsoft.com.

  1. Launch a web browser, navigate to the registration page, and select Sign up.

  2. If you're not already signed in with a Microsoft account, sign in now, or create a new Microsoft account. The Microsoft account you use here is what you'll use to sign in to your developer account.

    Tip

    A Microsoft account is a free account you use to access many Microsoft devices and services, such as the web-based email service Outlook.com (also known as hotmail.com, msn.com, live.com), Office Online apps, Skype, OneDrive, Xbox Live, Bing, Windows, or the Microsoft Store. If you already use any of these services, chances are you already have a Microsoft account. One of the benefits of having a Microsoft account is having a single password to sign into all your Microsoft services. Signing up to Partner Center using an existing Microsoft account will automatically associate your account to Partner Center with no additional set-up. By default, The Microsoft account that is used to sign up to Partner Center is the only account that you may use to edit your payment and tax profile information in Partner Center.

  3. Select the country or region where you live or where your business is located. You won't be able to change this later.

  4. Select your developer account type (individual or company). You won't be able to change this later, so be sure to choose the right type of account.

  5. For company accounts, if your company is registered with Dun & Bradstreet, use the DUNS ID to look up your company info. If you want to provide your company details yourself, select I don't have a DUNS number. If you do not provide a DUNS number, you will need to provide a legal document for business verification in next step. The legal document should have registered name, address of your company.

  6. Enter the publisher display name that you want to use (50 characters or fewer). Select this carefully, as customers will see this name when browsing and will come to know your apps by this name. For company accounts, be sure to use your organization's registered business name or trade name. If you enter a name that someone else has already selected, or if someone else has the rights to use that name, we won't permit you to use it.

    Note

    Make sure you have the rights to use the name you enter here. If someone else has trademarked or copyrighted the name you picked, your account could be closed. See App Developer Agreement for more info. If someone else is using a publisher display name for which you hold the trademark or other legal right, contact Microsoft.

  7. Enter the contact info you want to use for your developer account.

    Note

    We'll use this info to contact you about account-related matters. For example, you'll receive an email confirmation after you complete your registration. After that, we'll send messages when we pay you or if you need to fix something with your account. We may also send informational emails as described earlier, unless you opt out of receiving non-transactional emails. If you're registering as a company, you'll also need to enter the name, email address, and phone number of the person who will approve your company's account.

  8. Then, read and accept the terms and conditions of the App Developer Agreement.

  9. Select Accept and Continue to move on to the Payment section.

  10. Enter your payment info for the one-time registration fee. If you have a promo code that covers the cost of registration, you can enter that here. Otherwise, provide your credit card info (or PayPal info in supported markets). Note that prepaid credit cards can't be used for this purchase. When you're finished, select Pay and Register to complete the registration.

After you've signed up, your account will go through verification. For individual accounts, we check to make sure another user isn't already using your publisher display name. For company accounts, the process takes a little longer, as we also need to confirm that you’re authorized to set up the account for your company. This verification can take from a few days to a couple of weeks, and it often includes a phone call to your company. You can check your verification status on the Account settings page.