Integrating Application Workspace into Software Center

Does your user base rely heavily on Software Center to install and manage applications? This post explores a powerful but underused feature in Configuration Manager—adding custom tabs in Software Center—and shows how it streamlines your transition to modern self-service platforms like Application Workspace. 

Starting with Configuration Manager v1806—and enhanced in v2103—Microsoft enabled admins to customize the Software Center layout by adding tabs that link to internal or external websites. 

Transitioning from a well-established Software Center self-service culture to a new platform can feel risky. How do you retrain user habits? How will they know where to go to request or install apps? The good news is you can transition gradually without disrupting your workflow. With custom tabs in Software Center, you can extend the familiar interface while guiding users toward the new solution. 

Step-by-Step Setup Process 

Let’s walk through the setup process. Head over to the Configuration Manager console. 

Go to Administration > Client Settings. Right-click Client Settings and choose Create Custom Client Device Settings. 

Name your new client settings policy and select Software Center from the settings list. 

Within the Software Center section, click Customize to open a page where you can change the Software Center branding and overall look. Click on Tabs and then Add Tab. 

Name your new tab—this is what users will see in Software Center—and enter the URL for your Application Workspace instance. 

Reorder the tabs as you see fit and click OK to save the client settings.  

Deploy your custom client settings policy to a test collection to see it in action. Like most things in Configuration Manager, it will require a machine policy update for the changes to take effect.  

Tip: Ensure this policy has a higher priority than other policies modifying the Software Center layout, or the changes won’t apply. 

Once your test device gets the updated policy, open Software Center and you’ll see your new tab, where you can browse the website directly from Software Center without leaving the familiar UI. Since the Application Workspace portal is web-based, you can launch and install apps right from Software Center.  

Software Center uses an embedded WebView2 browser, so almost any site that works in Edge will work here—with Single Sign-On (SSO) support included. 

This makes it ideal for many scenarios, not just Application Workspace: 

• Add a tab for your ServiceNow or other ITSM tool’s portal 
• Link to your internal support wiki 
• Embed company-specific training, app request forms, or migration guides 

If your organization is further along in the transition, you can hide all but one tab to funnel users directly into the new platform. 

Conclusion 

Customizing Software Center is a simple but powerful way to guide your users through change. Whether you’re rolling out Application Workspace or phasing out Software Center entirely, this feature helps maintain continuity for your users while giving IT the flexibility to modernize behind the scenes. 

It’s one of those hidden gems in Configuration Manager that can make a big impact on user experience during a transition.