Nothing compares to the joy of receiving Christmas presents. And it's not just kids—you would be looking forward to receiving festive surprises too.
This Christmas, why not gift a useful Windows app to enhance the computing experience of your loved ones? You could invest in a highly rated app or buy an app's premium version for family and friends.
Read on to explore how to gift a Microsoft Store app. We'll also check out some inspiration ranging, from creative and entertaining apps to productivity boosters.
How to Gift a Microsoft Store App
To gift any of the apps mentioned above:
- Head over to the Microsoft Store on your Windows PC.
- Navigate to the product that you would like to purchase as a gift.
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Select “Buy as gift” (the Gift icon), as you can see in the screenshot below.
Then enter the email of the gift recipient to send the app code for redemption.
1. Movie Maker - Video Editor PRO
Movie Maker - Video Editor PRO is the best-selling Windows 10 and 11 movie maker and video editor app.
It will prove to be an essential app for your friends who are budding video makers and content creators. And for making home videos, school projects, and product demos.
This simple yet effective video editor will enable you to edit your videos or make movies from your photos, video clips, and music.
The app also offers advanced features such as voice over, visual effects, video stabilization, video overlay, green screen effect, transition effect, and record screen to help you create professional videos.
Yes, a free version of the app is also available, but this Pro version with a one-time payment offers powerful features and free future updates.
Download: Movie Maker - Video Editor PRO ($19.99)
2. Adobe Photoshop Elements 2023
You'll find all your photo essentials in the easy-to-use Adobe Photoshop Elements 2023. This creative app will make a perfect gift for friends who are photography enthusiasts or those who love to create unique photos to share.
Equipped with the power of Adobe Sensei AI technology, you'll discover how easy it is to add movie magic to photos by choosing the direction and adjusting the speed.
The handy 61 Guided Edits will walk you through the process to make basic adjustments, artistic creations, visual effects, and more.
Moreover, some exciting upcoming features include a mobile and a web app that will let you work seamlessly across mobile, web, and desktop platforms, and also view and edit your photos and videos from any browser.
If you or your friends are fans of Photoshop, you can try out some cool ideas for adding interesting effects to your photos.
Download: Adobe Photoshop Elements 2023 (Free trial, $99.99)
3. djay Pro
This award-winning app would be a great gift for your friend or loved ones who would love to mix tracks and make music like a DJ.
djay Pro seamlessly integrates with your music library and comes packed with features. Moreover, djay Pro is perfect for use on your desktop or a touch-enabled device like the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4.
djay Pro gives you up to four channels of music, TIDAL, SoundCloud, and iTunes integration, and offers native support for over 50 MIDI controllers by Pioneer DJ, Numark, Reloop, Denon, and others.
You can try djay Pro for 15 days, and once you buy it for $49.99, you can use it on 10 active Windows computers you own.
You can also check out some more cool apps to create your music on Windows.
Download: djay Pro (Free trial, in-app purchases available)
4. Spotify - Music and Podcasts
Spotify is perhaps the most popular music app and player. You can stream the tracks you love and discover new music too.
For the music lovers in your life, you can choose to gift a premium version for a nonstop ad-free experience and better sound quality. Moreover, with Spotify Premium you can download music and listen anywhere.
Plus, you can play any song, even on your phone, and enjoy unlimited skips.
Spotify also offers 4 million Podcasts, including originals and exclusives that you can't find anywhere else.
There are many plans to choose from—Individual for a solo account, Duo for two accounts, a Family account that will block explicit music, and even a Student plan.
Download: Spotify - Music and Podcasts (Free, in-app purchases available)
5. SOUND FORGE Audio Studio 15 Microsoft Store Edition
Here is a quality app you can gift to friends and family who are into digital audio editing and creating podcasts and audiobooks.
With SOUND FORGE Audio Studio Studio 15, you have the latest technology to record, edit, restore and master audio tracks. This innovative app is designed to help you achieve professional results quickly and with just a few clicks.
You can record podcasts in the exceptional quality of up to 32-bit/384 kHz, edit your projects using professional effects, produce soundtracks for videos, and convert your collection of vinyl and cassettes to digital.
Download: SOUND FORGE Audio Studio Studio 15 Microsoft Store Edition ($49.99)
6. Virtual Teleprompter PRO
A perfect gift for professionals, who spend their days moving from one online meeting to the next. The Virtual Teleprompter PRO app is also handy for online interviews and presentations, live streaming, content creation, or making pre-recorded content.
Forget about juggling speaking notes, and managing your appearance and talking speed. Virtual Teleprompter PRO runs on your laptop and enables you to speak naturally by keeping your notes right in from of you.
Reading from the app's screen, you'll be able to stay confident and on track with your speech while still connecting with your audience. Moreover, you can maintain the right wording without losing your position, which can be crucial in legal and budget presentations.
This business app is compatible with all meeting platforms such as Webex, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and more.
Download: Virtual Teleprompter Pro ($8.99)
7. Zen: Coloring Book for Adults
How about gifting a digital way to create beautiful art that relaxes your loved ones?
Zen: Coloring Book for Adults is a digital coloring book that offers an immersive experience that allows you to create beautiful art while enjoying soothing music.
Choose from over 250 gorgeous designs and themes, tons of blending and texture options, and custom colors to create your vibrant works of art on your Windows PC. And you can even save, print, or share your final masterpiece on social media.
If you're looking for more such creative and techy gifts, check out our recommendations for the best stocking stuffers.
Download: Zen: Coloring Book for Adults (Free, in-app purchases available)
8. Betta Fish - Virtual Aquarium
Betta Fish - Virtual Aquarium captures the beauty of Betta fish like never seen before in a 3D virtual fish tank—it will bring the Windows desktop alive for your loved ones.
You can design your stunning aquarium with up to 10 variations of Betta fish. And you can interact with the fish too. Watch your fish swim and explore over a dozen incredible underwater scapes or design your backdrop with a host of gradient options.
Your friends will appreciate this gift that transforms their desktop into a beautiful, natural environment and adds a touch of calm to their digital lifestyle.
Download: Betta Fish - Virtual Aquarium ($4.99)
9. Diarium: Journal, Diary, Notes
This Christmas, you can gift a great way to record memories and experiences to friends and family.
This feature-rich app includes Cloud Sync, and you can write your journal on all your devices—PC, laptop, tablet, or phone. You can attach pictures, audio recordings, files, tags, people, ratings, or locations to your diary entries.
Diarium will also send you daily notifications to remind you to write down your memories. And you can lock your diary with a password, PIN code, and Windows Hello.
Moreover, there is automatic integration of your Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and other social media activity and also your fitness activity from Google Fit, Fitbit, Strava, and more. You could even turn Diarium into your travel diary for the holidays.
Download: Diarium: Journal, Diary, Notes ($9.99)
Gift an Empowering and Enjoyable Windows Experience This Christmas
Apps rule in the digital world we live in. Having the right ones, like those discussed above, can make our work easier and offer ways to pursue our passions and interests.
This Christmas, choose to gift the power of these apps to make your Windows experience smarter and more joyful.