Releasing for Windows

This page covers packaging a Shorebird Windows release as an MSIX for the Microsoft Store, and with other installers. Whichever you use, package the output of shorebird release windows, not a separate flutter build windows.

Packaging for the Microsoft Store (MSIX)

To submit an app to the Microsoft Store, you need an MSIX package. package:msix is a common way to produce that file from a Flutter Windows build. By default it runs flutter build windows with the Flutter SDK on your PATH, not Shorebird’s Flutter. That rebuild is not a Shorebird release, so patches will not apply.

Build with Shorebird first, then tell package:msix to package the existing output.

Step 1: Create a Shorebird Windows release

shorebird release windows

The Windows executable is written to build/windows/x64/runner/Release. See Create a Release for flavors, targets, and --flutter-version.

Step 2: Disable the MSIX rebuild

Add package:msix as a dev dependency if you do not already use it:

flutter pub add dev:msix

Then set build_windows: false in the msix_config section of pubspec.yaml:

msix_config:
  display_name: My App
  publisher_display_name: Example
  publisher: CN=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
  identity_name: com.example.myapp
  msix_version: 1.0.0.0
  store: true
  build_windows: false

build_windows: false skips flutter build windows and packages the directory Shorebird already produced.

Copy identity_name, publisher, and publisher_display_name from Partner Center (Product identity). With store: true, package:msix refuses to build if any of them is missing. The fourth part of msix_version must be 0 for Store submissions.

Step 3: Create the MSIX package

dart run msix:create

Submit the generated .msix file to the Microsoft Store.

Caution

After shorebird release windows, do not run flutter build windows, shorebird patch windows, or msix:create without build_windows: false before creating the MSIX. Each of those rebuilds into the same output directory, so the resulting MSIX would not match the release and would not receive patches.

Packaging with other installers

Any installer that copies files, such as Inno Setup, WiX or NSIS, can package a Shorebird release. Shorebird needs no installer-specific setup, as long as the installer copies the release output as it is.

• Package the whole build\windows\x64\runner\Release directory, unchanged. Keep its layout: the app reads data\app.so, and shorebird.yaml in data\flutter_assets, relative to the .exe.
• Don’t modify data\app.so. Patches are applied on top of the app.so that shorebird release windows uploaded. If the installed file differs, the updater rejects every patch with a hash mismatch.
• Don’t change the .exe’s version. Shorebird reads the release version from the .exe’s ProductVersion, the same value shorebird release windows recorded. An installer’s own version field, such as Inno Setup’s AppVersion, doesn’t change it. You can still code-sign the .exe, DLLs and the installer.
• Install anywhere, including Program Files. Shorebird only reads from the install directory. Patches are downloaded to %LOCALAPPDATA%\shorebird_updater\<app_id>, which each Windows user can write to, so no admin rights are needed to apply a patch. On a machine with several users, each user downloads patches separately.

A minimal Inno Setup script, saved in the root of your Flutter project, looks like this:

installer.iss

[Setup]
AppName=My App
AppVersion=1.0.0
DefaultDirName={autopf}\My App
OutputBaseFilename=my_app_setup
ArchitecturesAllowed=x64compatible
ArchitecturesInstallIn64BitMode=x64compatible

[Files]
Source: "build\windows\x64\runner\Release\*"; DestDir: "{app}"; Flags: ignoreversion recursesubdirs createallsubdirs

[Icons]
Name: "{autoprograms}\My App"; Filename: "{app}\my_app.exe"

Replace my_app.exe with your app’s executable name. Compile the installer from the output of the shorebird release windows run that created the release. Running flutter build windows or shorebird patch windows in between overwrites that directory with a build that doesn’t match the release, and patches won’t apply to it.