Hidden Windows features make software installation easy

Many people are tempted to reinstall Windows after every major update, except they don't want to spend hours reinstalling all their apps. It turns out that Windows 10 and 11 include a command-line tool that handles app installations—and it's incredibly easy to use.

 

How to use WinGet to quickly install any application

Getting started with Winget is easy. First, check that you have Windows Package Manager installed by opening Command Prompt as administrator . Hit the Windows key , type cmd , and select Run as administrator . Running as administrator is important; it prevents each app installer from triggering its own UAC prompt , making the installation process go much more smoothly.

In the window that appears, type winget and press Enter . If you see a list of commands, you're good to go. If not, you'll need to install the App Installer from the Microsoft Store , which comes with WinGet. If you prefer, you can install WinGet from the app's GitHub repository.

Let's see how it works by installing Google Chrome. Type:

winget install Google.Chrome

And that's it! WinGet finds Chrome, downloads it from Google 's servers , and installs it automatically without you having to click on Google's website or any installer. Same goes for almost any popular program:

winget install Mozilla.Firefox winget install 7zip.7zip winget install Discord.Discord winget install OBS.OBSStudio

But how do you know the right name to use? Luckily, WinGet has a search feature. For example, if you're not sure what to type for ShareX, here's how you can search:

 

winget search "ShareX"

The above command will show you all the programs that match their exact ID. You should see something like ShareX.ShareX , which is what you need to use with the install command.

Here's a useful tip: You can use the --silent flag to completely bypass any installer pop-ups:

winget install Spotify.Spotify --silent

If you want to see what is installed on your computer, type:

winget list

This shows every program WinGet knows about. To update everything at once, just run:

winget upgrade --all

The above command will check all programs for updates and install them. This is a better way to handle consistent update notifications for multiple programs.

How to install multiple applications using WinGet + Winstall

 

While WinGet is certainly impressive, you have to enter each application name individually or create a packages.json script to install them in bulk. That's where Winstall comes in — a free website that creates custom WinGet scripts to install all your applications at once.

Go to winstall.app in your browser. You'll see a grid of popular programs. Click on any you want — Chrome, Discord , Steam , VLC , and Notepad++ , for example . Each click will add that program to your package. If you don't find something, use the search bar at the top to search for any application in the WinGet repository. When you're done, click Generate Script  at the bottom.

Winstall creates a batch file with all your choices. It looks like this (with the "-e" flag forcing an exact match):

winget install --id=Google.Chrome -e winget install --id=Discord.Discord -e winget install --id=Valve.Steam -e winget install --id=VideoLAN.VLC -e winget install --id=Notepad++.Notepad++ -e

Click the Download .bat button to save the file. If you get a security warning, click Keep Anyway to continue. Once finished, right-click the file and select Run as administrator . Now sit back and watch Windows install everything automatically.

For even more convenience, you can save your list of favorite programs as a text file. Then, whenever you need to set up a new computer, just run the same script. It's like having a personal installer that sets up your computer exactly the way you want it, every time.

WinGet can be intimidating if you're not familiar with the command line, but it's simpler than traditional installers. You don't have to remember complicated commands; installing, searching, and upgrading covers 90% of what you need. Keep a simple text file with your favorite WinGet commands and you'll never have to fumble for a download link again.