Showcase: winget Windows’ Built-In Package Manager You’re Probably Not Using

What Is winget?

If you’ve ever used apt on Ubuntu or brew on macOS, you already know the comfort of installing software with a single command. Windows users had to rely on third-party tools like Chocolatey or Scoop for years – until Microsoft quietly shipped their own solution.

winget (short for Windows Package Manager) is a command-line tool built into Windows 10 (21H1 and later) and Windows 11. It lets you install, update, and uninstall software straight from your terminal – no browser, no installer wizard, no “Next → Next → Finish” dance.

Why Should You Care?

Here’s the honest pitch: winget won’t replace everything in your workflow, but it solves a specific pain point really well – keeping your software up to date and setting up a new machine fast.

• No third-party dependencies – it’s built into Windows
• Access to thousands of packages (7,000+ in the official repo)
• Works with PowerShell, CMD, and Windows Terminal
• Scriptable – great for machine bootstrapping
• Integrates with Microsoft Store and community-maintained sources

Getting Started

Is winget already installed?

Open Windows Terminal or PowerShell and run:

winget --version

If you see something like v1.9.x, you’re good to go. If not, install the App Installer package from the Microsoft Store — winget ships with it.

Core Commands

Search for a package

winget search firefox

This queries the winget repository and returns a list of matching packages with their IDs and versions. The Package ID is what you’ll use to install precisely the right thing.

Install a package

winget install Mozilla.Firefox

winget downloads and runs the installer silently (where supported). Most packages require no interaction at all.

This queries the winget repository and returns a list of matching packages with their IDs and versions. The Package ID is what you’ll use to install precisely the right thing.

💡 Tip: Not sure about the exact package name? Check out winstall.app — it’s a clean web UI for browsing the winget repository. You can search visually, pick your packages, and it generates the ready-to-run winget install commands for you. Especially handy when setting up a new machine.

Pro tip: Use the --id flag to be explicit and avoid ambiguity:

winget install --id Mozilla.Firefox

Update a single package

winget upgrade Mozilla.Firefox

Update everything at once

This is the real power move:

winget upgrade --all

One command. Every outdated app on your system — updated. This alone is worth knowing winget exists.

Uninstall a package

winget uninstall Mozilla.Firefox

List installed packages

winget list

This shows everything winget knows about — including apps installed outside of winget, as it scans the system registry.

Practical Example: Setting Up a New Machine

One of the best use cases for winget is machine bootstrapping. Instead of hunting for installers, you can create a simple PowerShell script:

# my-setup.ps1

winget install --id Microsoft.VisualStudioCode
winget install --id Git.Git
winget install --id Mozilla.Firefox
winget install --id Spotify.Spotify
winget install --id VideoLAN.VLC
winget install --id 7zip.7zip

Run it once, grab a coffee, and come back to a fully set up machine. You can commit this script to a Git repo and reuse it whenever you get a new PC.

Export & Import: The Portable Setup

winget can also export your current installed packages to a JSON file:

winget export -o my-packages.json

And import them on another machine:

winget import -i my-packages.json

This is handy for keeping multiple machines in sync or for disaster recovery.

A Few Gotchas to Know

• Not every app is in the repo. Niche or enterprise software might be missing. Check with winget search first.
• Silent installs aren’t always silent. Some installers don’t support unattended mode and will still show a UI.
• winget upgrades only what it knows about. If you installed an app manually before, winget might not track it correctly.
• Run as Administrator when installing system-level tools to avoid permission issues.

Where Do the Packages Come From?

winget pulls from multiple sources:

Source	What it contains
winget (default)	Microsoft-curated community repo on GitHub
msstore	Microsoft Store packages
Custom sources	You can add your own private repos

The community repo lives at github.com/microsoft/winget-pkgs — anyone can submit a package via pull request.

Verdict

winget isn’t trying to be Homebrew. It’s a pragmatic, no-frills tool that does exactly what Windows users needed: a native, scriptable package manager that just works. The upgrade --all command alone will save you time every week.

If you’re already comfortable in a terminal, give it a shot. Start with winget upgrade --all and see what it finds.