Windows Dev Center: Invalid Package Family Name and Invalid Package Publisher Name

When submitting an application, or an update to one in the Windows Dev Center, you may come across the following two errors after uploading your application package: 

  • Invalid Package Family Name 
  • Invalid Package Publisher Name 

There appears to be a bug within Visual Studio or the Windows Dev Center where the correct certificate is not used when building the application. 

To fix this, you need to copy the expected publisher name from the error. This will be a UUID. 

In Visual Studio, open your project, and then open the Package.appxmanifest file. 

Select the Packaging tab and then Choose Certificate… 

Click on Create… 

Paste the UUID you copied earlier into the Publisher Common Name field. You can leave the two password fields blank. 

Click OK and then OK again. You will see the TemporaryKey.pfx created in the solution explorer if there was not one there previously. 

Associate your application with the store again and rebuild the app packages. They should now be accepted. 

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