winget Commands: Install, Upgrade and Manage Apps (2026)

Verified June 2026 · tested with winget 1.9 on Windows 11 24H2, Windows 10 22H2 & Server 2022/2025

Quick Reference: Essential Commands

Need to manage an app right now? Here are the most common commands:

# Find a package and its ID
winget search firefox

# Install an exact package by ID
winget install -e --id Mozilla.Firefox

# List installed apps that have an update available
winget upgrade

# Upgrade everything, unattended
winget upgrade --all --silent --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements

# Remove an app
winget uninstall -e --id Mozilla.Firefox

# Save and restore your whole app set
winget export -o apps.json
winget import -i apps.json

Which command do you need?

• Find an app's ID → winget search
• Install an app (exact, silent, specific version) → winget install
• See what's installed / what has updates → winget list & winget upgrade
• Update everything at once → winget upgrade --all
• Remove an app → winget uninstall
• Inspect a package → winget show
• Manage sources / migrate machines → source, export & import

Jump to the section you need below.

winget search: Find Packages

winget search queries the configured sources (by default the winget community repository and the msstore Microsoft Store) and returns matching packages with the Id you'll use for everything else.

Windows 10 1809+Windows 11Server 2022+Built in (App Installer)

winget search Option Reference

winget search Usage Examples

# Broad search across name, ID, moniker and tags
winget search "visual studio code"

# Find the exact ID of a known package
winget search --id Microsoft.PowerToys

# Search only the Microsoft Store source
winget search spotify --source msstore

# Narrow a noisy term to the first 10 hits
winget search node --count 10

Tip: The value in the Id column (for example Microsoft.VisualStudioCode) is stable across versions. Always grab the ID from winget search, then use it with -e --id so later commands hit the exact package.

winget install: Install Packages

winget install downloads and runs a package's installer. Pair it with -e --id for a precise, repeatable install, and add --silent for unattended scripts.

Windows 10 1809+Windows 11Server 2022+Per-user & per-machine

winget install Option Reference

winget install Usage Examples

# Reliable, exact install by ID
winget install -e --id Mozilla.Firefox

# Silent, fully unattended (good for scripts and imaging)
winget install -e --id Google.Chrome --silent --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements

# Pin a specific version
winget install -e --id Git.Git --version 2.44.0

# Force a system-wide (per-machine) install
winget install -e --id 7zip.7zip --scope machine

# Install from the Microsoft Store source
winget install -e --id 9NCBCSZSJRSB --source msstore

Tip: A bare winget install firefox can match several packages and prompt you to choose. In automation, always use -e --id so the command never stops to ask which package you meant.

winget list: Show Installed Packages

winget list enumerates everything installed on the machine — not just apps installed through winget. It cross-references each entry against winget's sources to show whether a newer version is available.

Windows 10 1809+Windows 11Server 2022+All installers, not just winget

winget list Option Reference

winget list Usage Examples

# Everything installed on the machine
winget list

# Is a specific app installed, and what version?
winget list --id Microsoft.PowerToys

# Show only apps with an update waiting
winget list --upgrade-available

Note: Entries whose version winget can't determine show Unknown in the Version column. Those apps are typically managed outside winget (portable apps, custom installers) and may not be upgradeable through it.

winget upgrade: Update Packages

winget upgrade (alias winget update) with no arguments lists every installed package that has a newer version available. Add a package selector to update one app, or --all to update everything.

Windows 10 1809+Windows 11Server 2022+Alias: winget update

winget upgrade Option Reference

winget upgrade Usage Examples

# What can be updated?
winget upgrade

# Update one app
winget upgrade -e --id Microsoft.VisualStudioCode

# Update everything, interactively
winget upgrade --all

# Update everything, fully unattended (ideal for a scheduled task)
winget upgrade --all --silent --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements

# Also catch apps whose version winget couldn't detect
winget upgrade --all --include-unknown --silent --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements

Automate it with a scheduled task. Run a weekly silent upgrade of every app with no interaction:

# Create a SYSTEM scheduled task that runs winget upgrade --all every Sunday at 3 AM
$action  = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "winget" `
    -Argument "upgrade --all --silent --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements"
$trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Weekly -DaysOfWeek Sunday -At 3am
Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName "Winget Weekly Upgrade" `
    -Action $action -Trigger $trigger -User "SYSTEM" -RunLevel Highest

Warning: winget upgrade --all upgrades every matched app in one pass, including browsers and tools that may be in active use. Installers can close running apps without warning, and major version jumps can introduce breaking changes. Test on a pilot machine before scheduling --all --silent across a fleet, and review the upgrade list (winget upgrade) before running it broadly.

winget uninstall: Remove Packages

winget uninstall (alias winget remove) removes an installed package. As with install, use -e --id so you remove exactly the app you mean.

Windows 10 1809+Windows 11Server 2022+⚠ Removes software

winget uninstall Option Reference

winget uninstall Usage Examples

# Remove an app by exact ID
winget uninstall -e --id Mozilla.Firefox

# Silent removal for scripts
winget uninstall -e --id Notepad++.Notepad++ --silent

# Remove a portable app and clean up its folder
winget uninstall -e --id sharkdp.bat --purge

Warning: winget uninstall permanently removes the application and, with --purge, deletes files left in its install directory. There is no undo. Double-check the Id with winget list before running uninstall in a script, and never pipe an unfiltered list into uninstall.

winget show: Inspect a Package

winget show prints full metadata for a single package — publisher, description, homepage, installer type, and (with --versions) every version winget can install. It downloads nothing.

Windows 10 1809+Windows 11Read-only — installs nothing

winget show Option Reference

winget show Usage Examples

# Full details about a package
winget show -e --id Git.Git

# List every version you could install
winget show -e --id Git.Git --versions

# Inspect a single version
winget show -e --id Git.Git --version 2.44.0

Tip: Run winget show --id <id> --versions before a --version install or a version-pinned deployment so you only request versions winget actually has manifests for.

winget source: Manage Package Sources

A source is a repository winget pulls packages from. Two ship by default: winget (the community repository) and msstore (the Microsoft Store). winget source lists, adds, refreshes, and resets them.

Default: winget + msstoreSupports private/internal sources

winget source Subcommand Reference

winget source Usage Examples

# List configured sources
winget source list

# Refresh the source index (do this if search returns stale results)
winget source update

# Add a private internal REST source
winget source add --name corp --arg https://winget.corp.local --type Microsoft.Rest

# Reset all sources back to defaults
winget source reset --force

Warning: winget source reset --force removes every custom source and restores only the defaults without prompting. If you rely on an internal/private repository, record its name and URL (winget source list) before resetting so you can re-add it afterward.

winget export & import: Migrate Your App Set

winget export writes every installed package that has a known winget Id to a JSON manifest; winget import reinstalls them from that file. Together they're the fastest way to rebuild a machine or standardize a baseline.

JSON manifestGreat for reimagingSkips apps with no winget source

export / import Option Reference

export / import Usage Examples

# Export every installed app with a known winget ID
winget export -o apps.json

# Export and pin the exact versions currently installed
winget export -o apps.json --include-versions

# Reinstall the whole set on a new machine, unattended
winget import -i apps.json --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements

# Import but skip anything no longer available in the source
winget import -i apps.json --ignore-unavailable

Note: Export only captures apps that map to a winget source entry. Apps installed manually or from sources winget doesn't know about are omitted from the JSON — review the file before relying on it as a complete machine baseline.

Troubleshooting: Common winget Errors

Each row is deep-linkable — share a specific error with …#wg-no-applicable, and the row highlights on arrival.

Version & Compatibility Notes

• winget ships in App Installer. It's preinstalled on Windows 11 and on Windows 10 1809+ once App Installer updates from the Microsoft Store. Check your version with winget --version.
• Windows Server: winget is not included by default on Server 2019/2022. Install the App Installer package (and its dependencies) manually, or use the Server 2025 build where it's more readily available. Source: Microsoft's winget-cli releases on GitHub.
• winget update is an alias for winget upgrade — both accept the same options, including --all.
• --silent depends on the installer. winget can only run an installer silently if the package manifest declares a silent switch. Some installers ignore --silent and still show UI.
• -h vs --silent: older docs use -h (the short form) for silent installs; --silent is the current, clearer spelling and is preferred in scripts.
• Group Policy / Intune: in managed environments, winget behavior (allowed sources, the Store) can be restricted by policy. If msstore is blocked, fall back to --source winget for community packages.
• Configuration files: winget configure (the Microsoft.WinGet.Configuration feature) can apply a full machine setup from a YAML/DSC file — a step beyond import for repeatable provisioning.