Microsoft will end support for App-V in 2026 (plan for migration to MSIX)

Migration Plan: App-V to MSIX

  1. Convert App-V to MSIX

    • Use the MSIX Packaging Tool to convert existing App-V packages.
    • Validate application functionality post-conversion.

  2. Preserve User Settings

    • App-V stores settings in %APPDATA%, %LOCALAPPDATA%, and HKCU\Software\Microsoft\AppV\Client\Packages.
    • MSIX stores them in containerized locations (C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Local\Packages\).
    • Migration Options:
      • Pre-Migration Script: Export & reimport registry settings, copy user data files.
      • Package Support Framework (PSF): Redirect file/registry access if needed.

  3. Deploy & Test MSIX Packages

    • Distribute MSIX using Intune, Configuration Manager (SCCM), or Group Policy.
    • Test application behavior, including user settings persistence.

  4. Decommission App-V

    • Phase out App-V applications gradually while monitoring user experience.

As well you can use an PowerShell Screept for that

# Define App-V and MSIX package details
$AppVPackageName = “YourAppVPackageName”
$MSIXPackageID = “YourMSIXPackageID”

# Define paths
$AppVRegistryPath = “HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\AppV\Client\Packages”
$AppVUserDataPath = “$env:APPDATA\$AppVPackageName”
$MSIXUserDataPath = “$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Packages\$MSIXPackageID\LocalCache”

# Step 1: Export App-V registry settings
$RegistryExportPath = “$env:TEMP\AppV_Settings.reg”
reg export “$AppVRegistryPath\$AppVPackageName” $RegistryExportPath /y

# Step 2: Modify the registry export to match MSIX (if needed)
(Get-Content $RegistryExportPath) -replace $AppVPackageName, $MSIXPackageID | Set-Content $RegistryExportPath

# Step 3: Import the registry into the new MSIX structure
reg import $RegistryExportPath

# Step 4: Copy user data files from App-V to MSIX container
if (Test-Path $AppVUserDataPath) {
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $MSIXUserDataPath -Force
Copy-Item -Path “$AppVUserDataPath\*” -Destination $MSIXUserDataPath -Recurse -Force
Write-Output “User data copied successfully.”
} else {
Write-Output “No App-V user data found.”
}

# Cleanup temporary files
Remove-Item $RegistryExportPath -Force

Write-Output “Migration completed!”

How to Use

  1. Replace "YourAppVPackageName" and "YourMSIXPackageID" with actual values.
  2. Run the script before MSIX deployment to ensure settings are migrated.
  3. Deploy via Group Policy, Intune, or SCCM to automate the process.

In additional

App-V Support Policy: Details on the end of support for App-V components.

App-V in Windows support policy

MSIX Packaging Tool: Guidance on converting App-V packages to MSIX using the MSIX Packaging Tool.

Create an MSIX package from any desktop installer

MSIX Package Support Framework (PSF): Information on addressing compatibility issues during migration.

MSIX Package Support Framework

Deploying MSIX Applications: Instructions for deploying MSIX packages using Intune or Configuration Manager.

Deploying MSIX Applications with Intune

Deploying MSIX Applications with Configuration Manager

rgds,

Alex