Microsoft 365 : SharePoint online – App Store / SharePoint Store – restricting users to add app – requiring approval to add app

by Prasham Sabadra · December 8, 2022

fig : Microsoft 365 - SharePoint Online - Apps - changing settings for users to directly adding apps on the respective sites

Hi All,

Greetings for the day!!!

Today new learning related to app store / SharePoint store.

What is SharePoint Store

The SharePoint Store (_layouts/15/appstore.aspx/sharePointStore?sorting=1 ) is a public marketplace that offers apps for Microsoft 365, as well as Dynamics 365 and Power Platform

Scenario:

We need to show only specific apps in app store / SharePoint store so that users can not add any app (or third-party app) on the site (sometimes they by mistake add apps on all sites)
But it seems it’s not possible – neither to show only specific app nor disabling app store / SharePoint store
So after bit googling we found that we can restrict users to get the apps from store or directly install themselves
We could specify the admin (SharePoint administrator / Appcatalog site collection administrator) to approve the request
So user can request for adding / installing the app and if site collection administrator (app catalog site collection administrator) approves it then only get added / installed

Steps to prevent users to get apps from SharePoint store

By default users are allowed to get / install app from SharePoint store
But we can restrict users from installing app themselves and allow them to request only, if request is approved by admin then only app can be installed
Navigate to SharePoint admin center – https://<tenant-name>-admin.sharepoint.com/
- We have detailed article on how to navigate to SharePoint admin center – Small Tips and Tricks – SharePoint admin center – How to navigate to SharePoint admin center

From SharePoint admin center, from left pane – click on “More features” link
On click of “More features” link, we will be redirected to “classicFeatures” page as shown in below fig

From “classicFeatures” pane open the “Apps” as shown in above fig
We will be redirected to “tenantAppCatalog.aspx” page as shown in below fig
From “tenantAppCatalog.aspx” page, from left pane click on “… More features” link

We will be redirected to “More features” blade / pane as
From “More features” blade, we need to open the “Configure store settings” as shown in below fig

We will be redirected to “ta_managemarketplacesettings.aspx” page as shown in below fig
on “ta_managemarketplacesettings.aspx” we have a setting called “App Purchases” – this setting is ON by default
We need to disable the “App Purchases” setting – So that end users are not able to get / install the apps from SharePoint store / Marketplace

After disabling the “App Purchases” settings – Impact to end users to get / install apps

Let login as end user, here to demonstrate I am using user named – ThirdUser and Email – thirduser@knoweldgejunction1.onmicrosoft.com
Thirduser needs to add “Image Map” app
But since admin disabled “App Purchases” setting, user – thirduser can not add the respective app, please see in below image
There is only “Request” option available as shown in below fig

As user – thirduser “Requests” respective app, “Request app” dialog appears for the specifying the reason

User – thirduser need to click on “Send request” button on “Request app” dialog as shown in above fig
Once user “Send request“, request will be seen on “myRequest” page as shown in below fig

Notification to Admins (SharePoint administrators and Appcatalog site collection administrators)

SharePoint administrators and Appcatalog site collection administrators have rights to approve / deny the users app request
As user (thirduser) requests the app, SharePoint administrators and Appcatalog site collection administrators receives email notifications with link to approval request as shown in below fig

In appcatalog site collection, admin could see all the pending requests, from left blade, under “App requests” >> “Pending” section as shown in below fig

By clicking on app name (here for example – “Image Map”), admin can either “Approve” / “Deny” the respective app request

On click of app name, right pane – “Confirm data access” opens as in below fig
On “Confirm data access” pane we have an option either to enable app or add it to all sites as