Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing that rewards affiliates for each sale that they refer to our stores. Affiliates place links and banners on their sites that send customers to Microsoft’s online store or Windows Store. In return, affiliates are paid a commission or bounty on any resulting purchases driven via the affiliates marketing efforts.

Affiliates are independent marketers who utilize specialized links to promote Microsoft products or services to their customers via their website, within their app, or through other marketing efforts. In-return, affiliates are compensated with a commission or bounty on purchases made as a result of those marketing efforts. Examples of affiliates include, a blog site, an app developer, a publishing house, a retail company, a device manufacturer, a mobile operator, a coupon site, a content site or anyone who wants to promote the products sold within our stores through their website, CRM or social media presence and make money along the way.

Tradedoubler is an international performance marketing company that delivers the technology platform that Microsoft is using for the global private affiliate program. Tradedoubler is also a public affiliate network that promotes the Microsoft Affiliate Program in certain local markets of Europe.

The private program is an exclusive program that allows our partners to promote products in the Microsoft Store and Windows Store to more than 50 countries using a single account. Exclusive content on the latest top products and promotions are promoted including a dedicated support team is accessible through the private network.
The public program is accessible through large public networks that Microsoft has partnered with in local markets around the world. This allows existing publishers in the public networks to include the Microsoft Affiliate Program in their portfolio.

Affiliate traffic that results in an eligible sale on either the native Windows Store (on Windows 10) or Microsoft’s online store is eligible for a commission.

The Microsoft Affiliate Program enables you to team up with the world's leading services and devices company to earn extra revenue from your marketing efforts. By linking from your site to Microsoftstore.com or the Windows 10 Store, you’ll earn generous commissions on qualifying sales of products including Surface, Xbox, PCs, and accessories as well as apps, games, music, TV shows, videos, and more -- all with attractive attribution windows. Plus, our affiliates receive unique offers for high-demand products and special content during seasonal events to help you standout with your audience.

Microsoft welcomes all affiliates to join the program, however we reserve the right to refuse any site that does not meet our quality and content standards. We periodically review affiliate sites to ensure our quality and content standards are being met.

Anyone who meets the program requirements and has the ability to promote content via a blog, website, app, or other similar channels is eligible to participate. In order to receive payment, the affiliate must provide banking details.

Our page highlights the network options available to you. We recommend joining our private network (powered by Tradedoubler), which allows you to promote all products in all countries via a single account. Once you apply, we will review your application within 5 business days.
We have also partnered with some of the largest local public networks so if you are already working with one of our selected networks in your country, you may also join the Microsoft Affiliate Program via those networks.

Nothing, it’s free to join.

Now that you are a part of the program, here are some resources to help you get started:

Build links and start promoting

• For digital content such as apps, games, music and video, use the Link Builder tool to search and create properly tagged links for the content you’re looking to promote, then add them to your website or app and start earning commissions today.
• Advanced users can access our data feeds which contain rich meta-data of our product catalog – data that can be used to generate your own affiliate links at scale. Contact our affiliate program support to request access.
• Badges & banners are also available in a wide range of sizes and languages. These add credibility to your promotion by announcing the availability of a product in our stores.

Contact Support

• Our private program is in many countries so join additional countries by contacting affiliate program support..
• If you have further questions, browse our FAQs or you may contact us from our support page..

Our private program is available in many countries. To promote in multiple countries, apply through our private program and request access to promote in your additional desired countries via Affiliate support.
Alternatively, view the list of countries where we partner with a local public network.

Once you’ve registered for the Microsoft Private Affiliate Network, you’ll have to set up your banking information in order to receive a commission payment. The information we require:

• Bank Account Country
• Tax Residence – in which country is your business / organization liable for tax
• VAT Country – in which country are you liable for Value Added Tax (VAT). For countries with no VAT, choose “Other Country / No VAT“
• Account Holder Name – Name of the person / business on the bank account
• Bank Account Number
• ABA Routing Number – also known as a RTN. This is a 9-digit number that is required to make wire transfers / deposits into your account
• SWIFT Code – Required for cross-border affiliate payments. It’s an international and standardized code, between 8 and 11 digits
• Affiliate Program Password – this is the password that is required to sign-in to your affiliate program dashboard. This password is required to make changes to your payment information

All the above information can be entered securely via the program dashboard. To access this information, log into your private network dashboard, click on “Account” in the main navigational toolbar and then click on “Payment Information”. Please note that complete and accurate banking information is critical to prevent delayed or missed commission payments.

Each public network is managed and maintained separately and may require different banking information. Please contact your public network support for further information on account details.

User access to the program dashboard requires a log-in ID and password that a user receives upon original registration. Limit access to the account by limiting distribution of the credentials.

The Enterprise data feeds are flat TSV (tab separated values) and CSV files (comma separated values) that contain all of the products in the Windows 10 Store and the Microsoft Store catalogs. Available information such as images, pricing, link, and other relevant product information for a particular content category for a particular market is accessible through the data feed.
As this contains Microsoft’s Global Product Catalog, users of this advanced tool may require some technical expertise and programming in ingesting the large amount of data. A user needs to be an active partner in the Microsoft Affiliate Program, and should be able to provide a brief overview how this tool will be used in their marketing campaigns. Click here if you want to request access to the Enterprise data feeds >

The easiest way to build your affiliate links is through the Link Builder tool. Once you have been accepted to the Microsoft Affiliate Program, you will be able to save your affiliate network settings for a year and allow you to generate links quickly.
There are 2 options in the Link Builder tool that you can use to build create your links.

• Option 1 is creating a quick link. This option is very useful if you have the product’s deep link or specific product page that you want to promote in your site. After inputting the URL in the field, this will generate an affiliate link with the IDs that you have saved in your network settings. There is also an option for you to test your links.
• Option 2 is doing a keyword search to find the product you want to promote from the catalog and filter the respective category and market. Results will allow you to select the format which best suits your campaign be it an image link, a text link or a badge link. Top digital goods content are also suggested in the Link Builder tool page. You will be able to see Top Free and Paid products such as apps, games, and music based on the market of the program you are building your affiliate links to.

We recommend using our Link Builder tool. Improperly tagged links may not tie your affiliate account to the sale. The Microsoft Affiliate Program is not responsible for improperly tagged links. If you have any questions, contact the Microsoft Affiliate Program support team. If you are testing links it may take up to 24 hours for a click to appear on the program dashboard.

Yes, we have banners and text links available within each network’s interface for the various product categories. Plus, the Link Builder tool can create linked copy, product images, or badges for your app or site. Simply input or search for the product you’re interested in, and choose the output format that fits your needs the best.

Yes, you are free to place tagged affiliate links in your social profile marketing efforts and not able to use in emails.

Upcoming promotions and product launches are communicated via newsletter emails. It is recommended that your email notifications are enabled in your publisher account to receive important program information and updates about the program.
You may also check the latest creatives such as banners and text links available in the Ads section of your publisher dashboard.

Sales are tracked using unique links generated by the affiliate network in your country. The customer has a predetermined amount of time after their last click on your link(s) for purchases to be eligible for commission. The amount of time or “attribution window” varies by product. Additional details can be found by viewing our commission rates page.

While you get to decide which products you promote on your site, all products on Microsoftstore.com or the Windows Store are eligible for commissions. All completed sales referred by your site earn a commission (subject to a 30-day return period).

To create affiliate links for products in the Windows Store such as apps, games, music, videos and TV shows, use the Link Builder tool. Search for the product name under Option 2 and select the corresponding category and market. The result will show the product information and different options how you can promote the product in your app or site. Recommendations of top content in your country program are available in this page such as Top Free/Paid apps, games, music.

Attribution windows are dependent on the type of product purchased. View our product specific attribution windows for further details.

View full list of commission rates by product.

Commission earnings vary based on many factors including number of promotional links, your website traffic, user buying habits, and more.

Microsoft partners with affiliate network(s) and they’re the ones who issue commission checks. For detailed payment information including exact commission earned, setting up your banking information, or determining payment schedule, refer to your affiliate network.

Please ensure that the correct banking information have been set up in your account. Please login to your Tradedoubler publisher account and check this information under Account >> Payment Information.
Commission payments to our partners in the private program are paid out every third Tuesday of the month following the assumption that they have reached the minimum payment threshold of their country program. To check the minimum amount required for pay out, please refer to the Account Balance Breakdown report under the Statistics menu of the navigation bar.

The payment schedule for each affiliate network may vary including any information required. Please reach out to your affiliate network’s support team through your publisher account dashboard.

Commission attribution is based on a “last-click” model. The tagged link that the user last clicked prior to purchase will receive credit for the sale.

Refunds and returns are removed from commission payments, prior to payment.

While the system instantly captures your referral, it may take up to 24 hours for clicks and sales to appear in the dashboard. It’s also possible that the product may be ineligible for the program, or that the user clicked on another affiliate’s referral link after they clicked on yours. If none of that happened and you’re still not seeing sales statistics, contact the Microsoft Affiliate Program support team.

Affiliates are paid a commission on all products sold within the attribution window, not just the one they link to in their marketing efforts. Applicable commission rates are applied to the product mix sold to determine the commission amount. For additional information on commission rates and attribution windows, please visit our commission rate page.

Purchases are tracked by the unique affiliate identifiers that are appended to a product link. Although each network is different, the common identifiers are program and user IDs. To ensure link accuracy and integrity, we suggest you use the Link Builder tool to automatically tag your links with this required information.

Affiliate links must link to the MicrosoftStore.com site which includes the Microsoft digital marketplace encompassing digital products (apps, games, music, movies, and TV) as well as Surface, Xbox, Band, Office 365 and many other products.
Links to pages that are not within the Microsoft marketplaces will be ineligible for commissions.

Links need to direct traffic to the MicrosoftStore.com site or, for greater conversion performance, a specific product page within the Microsoft Store site. Links directing users to informational and promotional pages such as products.office.com, and Microsoft.com/Surface (among others) are not tracked for commissions. The best way to ensure you’re using the correct link is via our Link Builder tool. If you have questions regarding which links will or will not be eligible for commissions, please reach out to our Microsoft Affiliate Support team.

You do not need to advertise the same product in the online store and Windows Store separately. If you simply use the web URL with the affiliate identifiers, we will send customers to the best experience and track purchases on the Online and Windows stores.

Many sites, especially those with editorial content, choose to disclose promotional relationships with advertisers, although there is no requirement from our end to do so.

Once you have registered for the Microsoft Private Affiliate Program for a single country, you can get access to additional countries by contacting the Microsoft Affiliate Program support team with the list of countries in which you plan to advertise. You may then create internal processes to use affiliate links in multiple countries and track via one dashboard.

Please contact the Microsoft Microsoft Affiliate Program support team. They can assist you with currency payout setup.

No data specific to a user is passed on to the affiliate. Data in the dashboard reflects commissions earned, impressions of ads, clicks and sales to name a few.

Yes. There are two ways in which you can earn money promoting free apps. First, many free apps have the option for in-app purchases for which you can earn a commission. If your affiliate link drives a download of a free app, any corresponding in-app purchases from that app will yield a commission for you. Plus, we offer very generous attribution window for in-app purchases to allow you to make a lot of money promoting free apps. Second, even if a free app does not have an in-app purchase, linking users to the store can make you the last affiliate of record. This means you could also earn a commission on other paid products a user purchases from the store.

A bounty is a specific, one-time payment used in place of a percentage commission. View the full list of commissions and bounties by product and country.

Users need to download the Groove Music app, sign up for the 30-day trial, and then finalize payment for either the monthly or yearly pass subscription. We recommend using the Link Builder tool to build a properly tagged link to the app.

The bounty requires a user to download the Groove Music app and register for a monthly or yearly Groove Music Pass subscription. Affiliate bounty payment will occur one month after the first paid subscription.

Yes, your tagged link will enable you to earn commissions on all products for the specified amount of time detailed on our commission page . This includes albums and song tracks as well as apps, games, music, movies, Xbox, Band, Surface, and much more.

Microsoft Private Affiliate Program users can find banners and text links from their program dashboard. Log in, click on “Ad Management” and then “My ads”. Banner and badge availability and locations may vary in the public networks. If you are having trouble finding badges or banners, please contact Affiliate Program Support.

There are no Groove Music Pass badges available for download. Instead, we encourage you to use the “Get it from Microsoft” badge available within our Link Builder tool. Image and text links are also available via the tool.

Our Link Builder tool can assist you in promoting the Groove Music app from the store. Search “Groove Music” in the tool to find the official app. Click “Get Link” to receive an image, text, or badge link tagged with your affiliate ID.