How to Install Apps on Windows

Table of Contents§

• Introduction
• Ninite
• Chocolatey
  • Chocolatey: Setup
  • Chocolatey: Install Apps
  • Chocolatey: Install Multiple Apps
• Scoop
  • Scoop: Setup
  • Scoop: Install Apps
  • Scoop: Install Multiple Apps
• Winget
  • Winget: Setup
  • Winget: Install Apps
• Microsoft Store
  • MS Store: Install Apps
  • MS Store: Auto Update Apps
  • MS Store: Uninstall Apps
• Manual Installation
  • Manual: Download Software
  • Manual: Uninstall Software
• Conclusion

Ninite§

You can install most of the popular apps using this GUI tool by going to Ninite website then Check your desired apps

1. Choose your desired apps

2. Click on Get Your Ninite button to download the installer

3. Last double click on the installer to start the process

Chocolatey§

Chocolatey is a package manager for Windows that simplifies software installation.To get started, follow these steps:

Chocolatey: Setup§

1. Open Powershell terminal as Administrator

2. Right click on windows start menu > then choose Terminal (Admin)

3. Copy & Paste the following command to install Chocolatey on your system

1Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

Chocolatey: Install Apps§

Tip

Search for apps at community.chocolatey.org/packages

Run commands inside Powershell terminal

 1# Command usage
 2choco search|install|upgrade|uninstall <package-name>
 3
 4# Search for a package
 5choco search firefox
 6
 7# Example install
 8choco install firefox
 9
10# Use -y flag to paypass prompt
11choco install -y firefox
12
13# Display all options and flags
14choco -?

Chocolatey: Install Multiple Apps§

Tip

You can list all your desired apps inside a packages.config file in XML format

1. Open Downloads folder and create a new file named packages.config
2. Copy and paste the following and change as you like

1<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
2<packages>
3  <package id="7zip" />
4  <package id="firefox" />
5</packages>

3. Then execute this command

1choco install -y C:\Users\$env:UserName\Downloads\packages.config

Scoop§

Scoop is a also another great command-line installer for Windows which Hides GUI wizard-style installers and Eliminates permission popup windows

Scoop: Setup§

Warning

You must have Git installed before moving forward

1. Open a Powershell terminal

2. Right click on windows start menu > then choose Terminal

3. Copy & Paste the following command to install Scoop on your system

1Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
2Invoke-RestMethod -Uri https://get.scoop.sh | Invoke-Expression

4. Add the two most popular buckets (A bucket is a collection of apps)

1scoop bucket add main
2scoop bucket add extras

Scoop: Install Apps§

Tip

Search for apps at scoop.sh

Run commands inside the Powershell terminal

 1# Command usage
 2scoop search|install|update|uninstall <package-name>
 3
 4# Search for a package
 5scoop search bitwarden
 6
 7# Install a package
 8scoop install bitwarden
 9
10# Use -y flag to paypass prompt
11scoop install -y bitwarden
12
13# Display all options and flags
14scoop help

Scoop: Install Multiple Apps§

The best way to install multiple apps is to create a PowerShell script with all the desired apps

Warning

Make sure to add the bucket name before the app name “<BUCKET_NAME>/<APP_NAME>”

1# Continue adding more apps every line then add "\"
2scoop install extras/bitwarden \
3  main/bitwarden-cli \
4  main/nodejs

Winget§

Winget is Microsoft’s official package manager for Windows. It provides a straightforward way to manage software installations:

Winget: Setup§

Note

Winget is pre-installed on Windows 10. If not, you can try add it in your path
Settings > System > About > Advanced System Settings > Environment Variables > System Variables > Path > Add > Replace C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps
Make sure to Replace <USERNAME> with your system username

Winget: Install Apps§

Tip

Search for apps at the Official Winget Website

You can also add multiple apps and winget will create a PowerShell file to copy and run directly on your system

Execute commands into Powershell terminal

 1# Command usage
 2winget install|upgrade|uninstall --id <package_name>
 3
 4# Search for a package
 5winget search vlc
 6
 7# Install package by ID
 8winget install -e --id VideoLAN.VLC
 9
10# Display all options and flags
11winget -?

Microsoft Store§

The Microsoft Store is a user-friendly platform for discovering and installing applications.

MS Store: Install Apps§

Tip

Make sure to login with your Microsoft account to save your apps library

1. Open Microsoft Store
2. Choose your desired app
3. Click on Get

MS Store: Auto Update Apps§

Click on your profile icon in the Top Right > Click on Settings > Check the Auto-Update Switch

MS Store: Uninstall Apps§

Open Settings > Apps > Installed Apps > Click on 3 dots icon for the desired app > Uninstall

Manual Installation§

For software not available through package managers or the Microsoft Store, manual installation is the go-to method. Here’s how:

Manual: Download Software§

Visit the official website, locate the download section, and download the installer.

For Example To install DavinCi Resolve Video Editor go to the Website and click on Free Download Now

Run the downloaded installer and follow the on-screen instructions.

Conclusion§

Installing, upgrading, and uninstalling software on Windows offers various approaches. Whether you prefer the convenience of package managers like Chocolatey and Winget, the user-friendly Microsoft Store, or the manual method for unique software, Windows provides flexibility to meet your needs. Choose the method that suits you best, and streamline your software management experience on the Windows operating system.