I used to keep a folder called "Installers." Inside it: Chrome, VLC, 7-Zip, Notepad++, Discord, a PDF reader, and about a dozen other .exe files I'd downloaded from sketchy mirrors over the years. Every time I reinstalled Windows, I'd work through that folder one by one, clicking "Next" through screens that tried to install toolbars.

Then I found winget.

It's Microsoft's official package manager. It comes preinstalled on Windows 10 (version 1809 and later) and Windows 11. You type a command, it downloads the latest version from the official source, installs it silently, and moves on. No browser, no "Download" button, no bundled extras.

Here's how to use it.

Check if you already have it

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run:

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winget --version

If you see a version number, you're set. If not, install "App Installer" from the Microsoft Store — that package includes winget.

Install an app

The basic command is:

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winget install VLC

Winget searches its repository, finds the official package, downloads it, and installs it without asking you to click through anything. You'll see progress bars and a "Successfully installed" message.

One thing to know: winget sometimes finds multiple matches. When that happens, it asks you to pick one by ID. You can skip the guessing by searching first:

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winget search firefox

That shows you the exact package ID, which you can then use directly:

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winget install Mozilla.Firefox

Install a whole list at once

This is where it gets good. You can batch-install everything you use:

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winget install VLC 7zip.Notepad++ Mozilla.Firefox Discord.Discord

If the command gets too long, you can also keep a text file with one package ID per line and install from it — though honestly, I just paste the full list into one line. Same result, less fiddling.

Update everything in one command

This is the command I actually run every week:

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winget upgrade --all

It checks every app winget knows about, finds updates, and installs them. No "Update Available" pop-ups from individual apps. No clicking through a dozen update wizards.

To see what can be updated without installing anything:

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winget upgrade

That lists app names, current versions, and available versions in a clean table.

A few honest limitations

  • Some apps aren't in winget. Adobe products, for example, aren't officially listed. You'll still need their installers for those.
  • It doesn't manage apps installed outside winget. If you installed Firefox manually from Mozilla's site, winget may see it but won't update it. Best to uninstall and reinstall via winget for full control.
  • winget upgrade --all sometimes fails on a stubborn app. That's fine — it skips it and moves on. Run winget upgrade afterward to see what didn't update, then update that one manually.

Why I use this now

I deleted that "Installers" folder. On a fresh Windows install, I run one command with my app list, and ten minutes later everything's there — no browser tabs, no "Are you sure you want to install this bundled toolbar?" prompts, no outdated versions of things I forgot about.

If you install more than three apps a year, this is worth learning. It's one of those Windows features that should have been advertised on the box, but somehow never was.