Winget: the Windows Package Manager

In the latest versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11, Microsoft’s free «Winget» packages manager is already installed, but is used only by professional users. The auxiliary program not only offers the easiest way to install several programs simultaneously with some commands, but also to their update. In the following article we present Winget with its possibilities and examples of applications for beginners.

1. Package Management – Comfortable and easy to use

First of all something fundamental: a Parcel Manager accesses a repository of many software packages via controls. These are often from one Integrated and updated community. In addition to the name of the program, the packages contain further information such as version, download of files of origin or configuration for installation. Packets can therefore be installed, updated or uninstalled through Parcel management.

For the user, there are several advantages from the use of packages:

• The packages can be installed «silent». Time is no longer necessary for an installation program.
• Several packages can be combined. This gives you the opportunity to install used programs frequently at the same time.
• Using the packages, the latest version of the program is always installed.
• Programs installed through the Parcel manager can also be updated with a command.
• Uninstalling is also possible through the package pack.

2. Winget, the operator of the open source packages from Microsoft

Linux users have long been known to Parcel Manager because they install and update programs on the Linux desktop. For a long time, the managers of the packages have been more than the exception on Windows, but they are becoming increasingly popular with solutions such as Chocolatey.

Chocolate? In our article a little older chocolatey – install, uninstall and update on the Windows programs for command and update further information on the alternative packages manager.

With Winget, Windows now also has its own package manager. The origin and free software are hosted on Github and also cultivated and revised there.

In its repository, the Gesture Winget package has well over 5,000 programs and apps, which can also be displayed on the website. Wintget also uses Microsoft Store as further sources.

3. Install Alet

Start the CMD Prompt or Powershell via the Windows terminal. With the command

winget

Start Winget and view a list of possible commands and parameters.

If you do not see any command here, Winget must be installed on older Windows systems (from the 1709 version of Windows 10). To do this, proceed as follows:

Find the «App Installer» app at Microsoft Store. This includes Wintget as a further component.

Subsequently, Winget should be available from you. There are more recent versions on the Github page, which still contain experimental characteristics. To use these versions, you need to combine the Windows Insider program or the Windows Package Manager insider program.

4. Here is how you use Winget in practice

After the installation of Winget, the tool is available through the command line or Powershell and knows, among other things, the following commands:

In addition, the options are still available as further additions, for example:

• -V shows the version of the instrument
• -Info shows general information
• -? View help for the selected command

AnUsing the description of all commands with Winget Find the Windows package manager on Microsoft.

4.1. Install the first program

To install a program, entering the command is sufficient

winget install

To discover the name of the package, you can use it with

winget search firefox

look for.

Winget therefore lists all the items that contain the search term.

If you want more information on a package from the list found, come on

winget show

A.

As a result, you can see the editor, the current version, the various websites, a description and the installation connection.

If you now want to install Mozilla Firefox, enter the voice ID. In our example, we decided the Desktop version of Firefox. AS:

winget install Mozilla.Firefox

After inserting the command, Firefox will be installed on the system without further questions.

I notify: We could also use the Microsoft Store variant (recognizable on the source), but we should instead insert the 9nzvdkpmr9rd ID. However, there are programs of which Store The variant in the range of functions is not identical to the normal desktop version. In case of doubt, you prefer to use the variant outside the shop.

According to this scheme, further programs can be installed, for example Microsoft Powerys with the command

winget Microsoft.PowerToys

For the simple installation, other options can also be delivered, for example a «silent» installation, in which no progress is displayed in the Windows surface. The parameter for this would be -ho –lient.

wingewinget Microsoft.PowerToys -h

4.2. Install several programs at the same time

Instead of inserting your command for each program, you can configure several programs in a command. To do this, just piss the commands. In the command line, use «&&» in which Powershell «;».

The command

winget install --id=File-New-Project.EarTrumpet -e  && winget install --id=Dropbox.Dropbox -e  && winget install --id=Apple.iTunes -e  && winget install --id=ShareX.ShareX -e

Installed all the programs in the command line during the command

winget install --id=File-New-Project.EarTrumpet -e  ; winget install --id=Dropbox.Dropbox -e  ; winget install --id=Apple.iTunes -e  ; winget install --id=ShareX.ShareX -e

Convert everything into Powershell.

The parameter used -and describes that the exact string has been used for the ID or the name of the program, but it can also be omitted in most cases if the name is clear.

4.3. Create your compilations with Winstall

With the website you can easily from the Alet repository Select the programs for which you want to create an installation script later. To do this, select the desired programs by clicking on the «plus sign».

In the footer you will see the number of selected programs and you can use «generates scripts» to view the command to install the programs.

In the window you will se all the selected programs again, you can still deselect them here and then find the script for Powershell or the lot of the command line in the upper part of the text field. With «advanced options» it is possible to specify other parameters such as the «Silent» installation.

You can take the command for a copy and paste and insert it and perform it in the command line or in the command line.

If you save the command in a text file, you can still use it and again during a new installation to add further programs. The command always downloads the latest version of the programs automatically.

4.4. List of installed packages and refresher programs

With the command

winget list

You can view a list of all installed programs.

The list includes all voices from Windows. In the class source at the extreme right you can see if this software can be managed via Winget or Microsoft Store. This is important in this sense compared to the command

winget upgrade --all

It can update all the programs in the list with the Winget or Microsoft Store source.

However, you can also make a targeted update, for example only the Powerys with the specifications of the ID or the name of the program:

winget upgrade powertoys

OR

winget upgrade --id Microsoft.PowerToys

4.5. Uninstall the programs with Winget

The uninstalling is possible similar to the installation with Winget, only that the command of uninstalling changes here. As already described in point 4.2, you can also uninstall several programs simultaneously.

Using the example of Powershell:

winget uninstall --id=File-New-Project.EarTrumpet -e  ; winget uninstall --id=Dropbox.Dropbox -e  ; winget uninstall --id=Apple.iTunes -e  ; winget uninstall --id=ShareX.ShareX -e  ; winget uninstall --id=Zoom.Zoom -e

In order to get rid of the programs without asking and uninstalling, it is possible to attach the parameter -each.

In the following video you will find a summary for the use of Winget.

5. Wintui help

Winget operation via the command line is not the best choice for everyone. That’s why there is one with Wintui Graphic surface that performs the ALET commands in the background. After the start you can choose the default settings or adjust the details, e.g. integrate other sources such as chocolate shop etc.

Subsequently, a graphic interface with research, the list of installed packages, the download function and the import and export of scripts in Json format is available. These scripts can also be downloaded from the website above.

Update management is also simply resolved. Click on software updates and mark all the items for which you want an update.

6. Conclusion

With Winget and the WingeTui tool, the installation e The care of the programs is no longer a great moment. By comforting and with a few clicks you have all the desired programs on the PC and always in the current version. Perhaps Microsoft also implements the Windui functions directly in the operating system, which would further increase Windows operational safety through the current versions of the program.