How can I test subscription products for my Microsoft Store app before publishing?

Question

How can I test subscription products for my Microsoft Store app before publishing?

Oruc 0

I’m developing a .NET MAUI app that includes in-app subscription products using the Microsoft Store. Everything works fine technically, but I can’t find any sandbox or testing environment to simulate real subscription purchases, renewals, or cancellations before the app goes live.

I created a free subscription product, and I can purchase it successfully with a normal Microsoft account. However, after I cancel the subscription, it remains active for at least 5 more days, and I can’t repurchase it during that period. This means that I need to create a new Microsoft account every time I want to test the subscription flow, which is very inconvenient.

Other markets sandbox environments for testing in-app subscriptions — is there any similar solution for the Microsoft Store?

If not, what’s the recommended way for developers to test subscriptions before publishing a live version of the app?

Thanks in advance for your help.

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Answer 1

Varsha Dundigalla(INFOSYS LIMITED) 2,785 Microsoft External Staff

Thank you for reaching out.

Microsoft does not provide a dedicated sandbox environment for subscription testing. All tests occur in the live Microsoft Store environment, so you cannot instantly simulate renewals, cancellations, or expirations.

Workarounds You Can Use

Create Free Subscription Add-ons

Set the subscription price to Free in Partner Center to test purchase flows without charges.

Official Guide: In-app purchases and trials

Use Private Audience for Beta Testing

Distribute your app to a controlled group of testers before public release.

Official Guide: Beta testing and targeted distribution

Generate Promotional Codes

Create promotional codes for subscription add-ons so testers can redeem them for free. Generate promotional codes - Windows apps | Microsoft Learn

Use Multiple Microsoft Accounts

If you need to test cancellation and repurchase scenarios, you may need multiple Microsoft accounts because a single account cannot repurchase the same subscription immediately after cancellation.

Implement Robust Subscription State Handling

Handle states like active, expired, and grace period using the Windows.Services.Store API.

Official Guide: Windows.Services.Store API

Let me know if you need any further help with this. We'll be happy to assist.

If you find this helpful, please mark this as answered.

Varsha Dundigalla(INFOSYS LIMITED) 2,785 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-10-23T12:28:58.7566667+00:00

Hope you're doing well. Could you please let us know if the issue still persists or if it has been resolved? If everything is working fine now, we’d appreciate it if you could mark the response as answered. We’re planning to close the thread by 29 October, so we are hoping for your reply before that.
Varsha Dundigalla(INFOSYS LIMITED) 2,785 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-10-27T11:38:40.2866667+00:00

Hope you're doing well. Could you please let us know if the issue still persists or if it has been resolved? If everything is working fine now, we’d appreciate it if you could mark the response as answered. We’re planning to close the thread by 29 October, so we are hoping for your reply before that.
Varsha Dundigalla(INFOSYS LIMITED) 2,785 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-10-30T05:55:48.2666667+00:00

As we haven’t received any further updates or follow-up on this thread, it has now been closed. If you need additional assistance or have new information to share, please feel free to post a new thread. We’ll be happy to support you further as needed.

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How can I test subscription products for my Microsoft Store app before publishing?

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