The Best Windows Feature You’re Not Using

You may be missing out on some efficiency in Windows if you're not using a package manager, like Winget. Watch James explain how it could help you!

Leave a reply with your requests for future episodes.

[Blex_]

Honorable mention for Chocolatey which already did that for many many years on windows - just not as a standard built-in feature but as a community tool that you had to install with one command

[Midcon]

I would love more of these types of "advanced user stuff made easy" videos. Really found this one useful - thank you!

[AnastasiyaSoyka]

Winget isn't a traditional package manager, like apt-get or pacman. The winget repository is just a giant collection of manifest files, each of which contains metadata about the package, as well as a URL which tells winget where to download the actual package. This is different from Unix package managers, where all of the packages are actually stored and fetched from a dedicated package repository. Winget still handles installing the package like a normal package manager would, but this is still an important difference.

It should be noted that some organizations don't allow winget to fetch packages from their servers, and winget also doesn't currently support packages which are distributed as an archive file, like ZIP or TAR.

[MattariOnline]

I knew about winget, but I didn't know "winget upgrade -all" not only existed but works on stuff downloaded manually or even prior. That's pretty awesome tbh.

[Convexified]

If you are just looking for the syntax:
winget upgrade --all
(For updates)

winget export -o <output>
(to export a list of all the programs in your PC recognized by winget, the output should be a path that ends in a .json file)

winget import -i <input>
(to import a list of programs like the one created with the command above)
Eventually you can add the options --accept-package-agreements and --accept-source-agreements

winget search <query>
(to search if a program is available to install via winget, <query> is the name of the program you are looking for)

winget uninstall <query>
(to uninstall a program recognized by winget, <query> is it’s app id number, you can see it through winget list)

Be careful when installing or uninstalling anything!

[SashikaSandeepa]

there is a gui for winget called unigetui

[divinezmuz]

Or just use UnigetUI which lets you use a couple of package managers like winget, scoop, chocolatey to perform all such functions inside a neat and sleak ui. Also, its an open source software.

[brietman_]

Don't forget uniget. It can also install chocolatey packages.

[SixtySixHundred-]

Worked like a charm unsurprisingly. Updated everything while I was watching this video. It did all the installations silently too so there was none of the clicking involved with installing/updating applications.
Thank you for this information. I will be using this regularly. 👍

[Callofdootie]

Robocopy was a great discovery for me when I had to copy a large amount of files.

[Abdullx]

I have been using winget for a while and it's pretty nice. So a big feature is when you sometimes upgrade old devices to windows 10 or 11 they don't get the Microsoft store or any needed apps like the camera, photos, videos and so on. And as far as I can see the best way to install these is through winget, you use winget run (the site) and copy and paste the command to install

[JustSomeGuy]

1) there are GUI tools for winget that allow search, install, update, etc. Like a storefront for the winget community repo or any other repo you want to add.
2) when talking with Microsoft, they told me that the community repo isn't something thry personally maintain and they push it onto the developer.
3) packages can actually be put up by people that have no affiliation with the software development. This same thing happens in the Microsoft store.
4) points 2 & 3 open up some fundamental concerns around security IMO.
5) winget can install packages from the community repo that are more traditional installers, but it also can list Microsoft store packages for install (msstore).
6) historically there have been issues with how packages can be installed, user or machine based installs. While they've added flags there are still issues because the software packages themselves don't have to support or honor any of this.

With all that said I used winget in a business environment and personal use for many years now and I like it. Used choco before it which was also good.

[epsileth]

Unigetui, formerly wingetui is a free package manager Gui that can do all of this.

[its_momo_]

actually quite useful, i as a windows user who's doing Computer Science have downloaded stuff via winget but also chocolately (another windows package manager)

[lyndenp]

One of the most useful how to vids I have watched all year. Thanks heaps!

[chip]

Just got, as in 4 years ago? Winget has been around for a while

[marlonese]

We hated Linux Users for they spoke the truth. Package managers are undoubtedly the best way to install software

[LaloSRx]

Damn, can’t believe they’re shutting this channel down.

[tobcyxob]

Wow, a content for Advanced Joe on a Techquicke!
Much appreciated! I've could've used command when I migrated some 2011 workstations at work to a new platform.

[fyrstormer]

I do know about it, yes. It's very handy. Though sometimes you have to uninstall apps and then reinstall them specifically using "winget install" before winget will be able to update them in the future.