Windows 10 Application Deployment

I'm not generally the go-to guy when it comes to Windows App Development, particularly when you're talking about this new-fangled Universal Apps; our excellent, and disarmingly attractive, Microsoft Certified Trainers are the ones you should really talk to. But, having said that, I do get asked questions from time to time and I thought I'd just put this out there for those looking for a little more information…

Windows 10 Preview Build 10166 is the latest release from Microsoft which also introduces the Windows 10 Application Deployment (WinAppDeployCmd.exe) tool. It is a command line utility you can use to deploy a Universal Windows app from a Windows 10 PC to any Windows 10 mobile device.

The tool allows you to deploy an .AppX (package file) to a device connected through USB or available on the same subnet without requiring access to the complete Visual Studio solution. If you have Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps and need to test them on a physical device, you can use tool (WinAppDeployCmd.exe) to deploy the app.

WinAppDeployCmd is a stand-alone tool that is installed on your PC when you install the Windows 10 SDK. You can download the Windows 10 SDK preview from the Windows 10 Developer Tools page (https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/dn913721.aspx). This tool should also be in the RTM version of the Windows 10 SDK upon its release.

If you need to deploy an app onto a device, you will need to enable it for development. Firstly, you will need to upgrade to the recently released Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build emulator (10149 emulator) and follow these simple steps to prepare your device:

1. On the phone that you want to enable for development, go to “Settings” > select “Update & Security” > then select “For developers”.
2. Select “Developer mode” to enable side-load scenarios using WinAppDeployCmd.exe.

If you require more details, please read the MSDN topic, "Enable your device for development" (https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/dn706236.aspx)

Now that you have successfully enabled the phone for development, follow the steps on the MSDN topic Windows 10 Application Deployment to get your apps on to the device.

WinAppDeployCmd should help you resolve any issues when you are updating or deploying apps onto mobile devices.