Refactored package identity topics with Overview. (#5442)

* Refactored package identity topics with Overview.

* Fixed build warnings and links.

* Edit pass

* Edit pass

* Edit pass 2

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Co-authored-by: Steven White <[email protected]>

Author: mikebattista

hub/apps/desktop/modernize/grant-identity-to-nonpackaged-apps-overview.md

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+---
+title: Grant package identity by packaging with external location
+description: Overview of how to grant package identity to an unpackaged Win32 app so that you can use modern Windows features in that app.
+ms.date: 05/20/2025
+ms.topic: article
+keywords: windows 11, windows 10, desktop, sparse, package, identity, external, location, MSIX, Win32, Visual Studio
+ms.localizationpriority: medium
+---
+
+# Grant package identity by packaging with external location
+
+Many Windows features can be used by a desktop app only if that app has package identity at runtime. See [Features that require package identity](/windows/apps/desktop/modernize/modernize-packaged-apps). If you have an existing desktop app, with its own installer, then there's very little you need to change in order to benefit from package identity.
+
+Starting in Windows 10, version 2004, you can grant package identity to an app simply by building and registering a *package with external location* with your app. Packaging with external location allows you to register a simple identity package in your existing installer without changing how or where you install your application. You might be familiar with full MSIX packaging; this is a much lighter-weight option.
+
+You can [add an identity package to an existing Visual Studio project](/windows/apps/desktop/modernize/grant-identity-to-nonpackaged-apps-visual-studio) with the Windows Application Packaging Project and [Package with External Location](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=WapProj-PackageWithExternalLocation.wapprojPackageWithExternalLocation) extension. This approach is recommended when there is a single application project that needs identity. The tooling provides a visual manifest editor, visual Resource Designer for localization, graphical wizard for creating and trusting self-signed certificates, automatic updating of application manifests, and PowerShell scripts to register and unregister the identity package for local testing.
+
+If you don't build with Visual Studio or want to bundle multiple application executables under a shared identity, you can [build an identity package manually](/windows/apps/desktop/modernize/grant-identity-to-nonpackaged-apps).

hub/apps/desktop/modernize/grant-identity-to-nonpackaged-apps-visual-studio.md

@@ -9,13 +9,11 @@ ms.localizationpriority: medium
 
 # Grant package identity by packaging with external location in Visual Studio
 
-Many Windows features can be used by a desktop app only if that app has package identity at runtime. See [Features that require package identity](/windows/apps/desktop/modernize/modernize-packaged-apps). If you have an existing desktop app, with its own installer, then there's very little you need to change in order to benefit from package identity.
+For the motivations behind adding package identity, as well as the differences between building identity packages in Visual Studio and building them manually, see [Overview](/windows/apps/desktop/modernize/grant-identity-to-nonpackaged-apps-overview).
 
-Starting in Windows 10, version 2004, you can grant package identity to an app simply by building and registering a *package with external location* with your app. Packaging with external location allows you to register a simple identity package in your existing installer without changing how or where you install your application. You might be familiar with full MSIX packaging; this is a much lighter-weight option, as described below.
+This topic describes how to build and register an identity package by using Visual Studio. For info about building an identity package manually, see [Grant package identity by packaging with external location manually](/windows/apps/desktop/modernize/grant-identity-to-nonpackaged-apps).
 
-If you already have a Visual Studio project for your application, then building an identity package in Visual Studio provides a more streamlined experience than [building an identity package manually](/windows/apps/desktop/modernize/grant-identity-to-nonpackaged-apps).
-
-These are the steps that we'll be describing in detail in this topic to build and register an identity package using Visual Studio:
+These are the steps (which this topic describes in detail) to build and register an identity package by using Visual Studio:
 
 1. [Install Visual Studio components](#install-visual-studio-components)
 2. [Add a Packaging Project to your solution](#add-a-packaging-project-to-your-solution)

hub/apps/desktop/modernize/grant-identity-to-nonpackaged-apps.md

@@ -1,20 +1,20 @@
 ---
+title: Grant package identity by packaging with external location manually
 description: Learn how to grant package identity to an unpackaged Win32 app so that you can use modern Windows features in that app.
-title: Grant package identity by packaging with external location
 ms.date: 10/13/2023
 ms.topic: article
 keywords: windows 10, desktop, sparse, package, identity, external, location, MSIX, Win32
 ms.localizationpriority: medium
 ms.custom: RS5
 ---
 
-# Grant package identity by packaging with external location
+# Grant package identity by packaging with external location manually
 
-Many Windows features can be used by a desktop app only if that app has package identity at runtime. See [Features that require package identity](/windows/apps/desktop/modernize/modernize-packaged-apps). If you have an existing desktop app, with its own installer, there's very little you need to change in order to benefit from package identity.
+For the motivations behind adding package identity, as well as the differences between building identity packages in Visual Studio and building them manually, see [Overview](/windows/apps/desktop/modernize/grant-identity-to-nonpackaged-apps-overview).
 
-Starting in Windows 10, version 2004, you can grant package identity to an app simply by building and registering a *package with external location* with your app. Packaging with external location allows you to register a simple identity package in your existing installer without changing how or where you install your application. If you're familiar with full MSIX packaging, this is a much lighter-weight option as described below.
+This topic describes how to build and register an identity package manually. For info about building an identity package in Visual Studio, see [Grant package identity by packaging with external location in Visual Studio](/windows/apps/desktop/modernize/grant-identity-to-nonpackaged-apps-visual-studio).
 
-To build and register an identity package, follow these steps:
+These are the steps (which this topic describes in detail) to build and register an identity package manually:
 
 1. [Create a package manifest for the identity package](#create-a-package-manifest-for-the-identity-package)
 2. [Build and sign the identity package](#build-and-sign-the-identity-package)

hub/apps/toc.yml

@@ -460,10 +460,14 @@ items:
                   href: desktop/modernize/desktop-to-uwp-distribute.md
             - name: Package your app using single-project MSIX
               href: windows-app-sdk/single-project-msix.md
-            - name: Grant package identity by packaging with external location in Visual Studio
-              href: desktop/modernize/grant-identity-to-nonpackaged-apps-visual-studio.md
-            - name: Grant package identity by packaging with external location manually
-              href: desktop/modernize/grant-identity-to-nonpackaged-apps.md
+            - name: Grant package identity by packaging with external location
+              items:
+              - name: Overview
+                href: desktop/modernize/grant-identity-to-nonpackaged-apps-overview.md
+              - name: Grant package identity by packaging with external location in Visual Studio
+                href: desktop/modernize/grant-identity-to-nonpackaged-apps-visual-studio.md
+              - name: Grant package identity by packaging with external location manually
+                href: desktop/modernize/grant-identity-to-nonpackaged-apps.md
         - name: Deployment
           items: 
             - name: Overview