HOW2 WINDOWS: Install and Update Every App From the Command Line With Winget

HOW2 WINDOWS: Install and Update Every App From the Command Line With Winget

aop3d tech
HOW2 WINDOWS

HOW2 WINDOWS: Install and Update Every App From the Command Line With Winget

Buried inside Windows 10 and 11 is an official package manager that installs, updates, and removes apps with single commands — no hunting down installer downloads, no "Next, Next, Finish" marathons. Meet Winget.

1. What Winget Is (and Why It's Already on Your PC)

Winget is Microsoft's own Windows Package Manager, and it ships built into Windows 11 and recent Windows 10 versions. It talks to a Microsoft-curated catalog of thousands of apps, downloads the official installers, and runs them silently. Open Terminal (or Command Prompt) and type winget — if you see a list of commands, you're in business.

  • Installers come from official sources — no sketchy "download-free-now" sites.
  • Silent installs — no clicking through setup wizards.
  • One command updates everything — patch Tuesday for your apps, whenever you want.

2. The Five Commands That Matter

Command What it does
winget search vlc Finds apps matching a name and shows their IDs
winget install --id VideoLAN.VLC -e Installs that exact app silently (-e = exact match)
winget list Shows everything installed on your PC
winget upgrade Lists which apps have updates waiting
winget upgrade --all Updates every app with an available update

winget upgrade --all is the magic one: run it once a week and your browser, media players, and utilities stay current without you ever opening an updater again.

3. The New-PC Speed Run

The real wizard move: chain multiple installs into a single line. Setting up a fresh PC stops being an afternoon of browser tabs and becomes one paste into Terminal:

winget install Mozilla.Firefox Valve.Steam winget install Microsoft.PowerToys Discord.Discord winget upgrade --all

And for the truly prepared: winget export -o myapps.json saves your app list to a file, and winget import -i myapps.json reinstalls all of them on your next machine. Keep that file on a USB stick and a new PC setup takes coffee-break time.

4. Wizard Safety Notes

  • Some installs need admin rights — run Terminal as administrator for those (Winget will tell you).
  • Skip the Microsoft Store noise — when a search returns confusing duplicates, prefer entries with a clean publisher ID.
  • Pin apps you don't want auto-updated with winget pin add --id Name.App — handy for software with version-locked licenses.
  • Uninstall is one command too: winget uninstall --id Name.App beats digging through Settings.

5. Your Weekly Routine (30 Seconds)

Make this a Friday habit: open Terminal, run winget upgrade to preview what's outdated, then winget upgrade --all to pull every update at once. Combine it with Windows Update and you've closed the two biggest "is my stuff current?" gaps on the machine — from the keyboard, without a single installer wizard.

Disclaimer: The tech tips provided in this article are for informational purposes only. AOP3D TECH is not responsible for any data loss or hardware damage. Always back up your devices before attempting troubleshooting.

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