I don’t use the Microsoft Store or websites to install Windows apps anymore

If you’re like me, installing apps on Windows used to be a mix of hunting down websites, dodging unnecessary toolbars, and clicking through endless setup wizards. Sure, the Microsoft Store simplifies things for some apps, but anything not listed there often meant bouncing between multiple sites, figuring out which download link was safe, and carefully navigating each installer to avoid accidentally adding unwanted software.

WinGet changes all of that. With a few simple commands, you can search for, install, update, and even manage apps entirely from the command line. And no, it’s not as intimidating as it sounds. Once you familiarize yourself with a handful of commands, WinGet becomes a surprisingly enjoyable way to handle software on Windows.

It’s fast and flexible

Install all your favorite apps from one place

WinGet is Microsoft’s official package manager, built right into Windows. It lets you install apps using a few simple text commands instead of hunting them down online. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell, type something like winget search chrome, and you'll instantly see a clean list of matching results. It searches both the WinGet repository and the Microsoft Store to show all available versions in one place.

Once you’ve found what you want, a quick command like winget install Google.Chrome does everything for you—downloads, verifies, and installs. Sure, the Microsoft Store makes installation easy too, but it’s limited to apps that are actually listed there. For everything else, you're stuck jumping between websites and downloading installers.

Beyond convenience, WinGet gives you real control. When you search for an app, you can see every available version, not just the latest one. So if you need an older build of Git, just run winget install git --version 2.44.0, and it’ll handle the rest.

No more setup wizards and easy bulk installs

Skip those endless “Next” clicks

Traditional app installations often feel like a small obstacle course. You click Next half a dozen times, agree to terms, decide on installation paths, and hope you don’t accidentally install extra bloatware along the way. WinGet skips all of that.

This approach also reduces mistakes. You don’t have to worry about clicking the wrong button in an installer, choosing an awkward folder path, or accidentally declining an essential component. Everything happens cleanly in the background, exactly as intended.

WinGet also makes bulk installs effortless. If you're setting up a new PC or reinstalling Windows, there's no need to hunt down each program manually. Websites like winstall.app let you select multiple apps and generate a single WinGet command to install them all at once. In one go, you can have Chrome, VS Code, Spotify, and dozens of other tools ready to use.

Updating everything takes just one command

No more manual updates or download hunts

WinGet is not only great for installing apps; it also makes keeping them up to date effortless. While the Microsoft Store can update its apps automatically in the background, anything you’ve downloaded from elsewhere usually requires manual updates. With WinGet, that's not an issue. Typing winget upgrade --all scans every installed app, compares it to the latest versions, and updates everything automatically in one go.

The best part is that WinGet doesn’t limit itself to apps you installed through it. If an app exists in the WinGet repository, it can handle it no matter how it got onto your system. Before you commit to updating, a simple winget upgrade shows a list of all apps with newer versions. This gives you a clear picture of what’s outdated and what will change.

Updating specific apps is just as easy. Maybe you only want to update Firefox or Visual Studio Code. A command like winget upgrade firefox does exactly that without touching anything else. You can even specify versions if you need a particular release rather than the latest.

Deleting and transferring apps is also easy

Moving apps to a new PC takes minutes

From time to time, you may need to remove apps and programs you no longer use. WinGet makes this much simpler. For example, winget uninstall spotify completely removes the app along with its associated files where possible. You can, of course, uninstall apps by other means, but that usually means jumping between Settings and Control Panel—and there's no easy way to remove multiple apps at once.

Transferring your apps to a new PC is just as smooth. With winget export apps.json, you can create a simple file listing all your installed programs. On your new system, winget import apps.json automatically installs everything in that list, and that’s it. You can even edit the exported list to exclude apps you no longer need or add new ones before importing.

This makes WinGet a lifesaver for anyone who switches computers often or needs to maintain consistent setups across multiple machines.

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Switching to WinGet has completely changed the way I manage apps on Windows. Installing apps on Windows doesn’t have to be a tedious chore anymore. It’s way faster, cleaner, and far more reliable than hunting through websites or relying solely on the Microsoft Store.