Windows Apps & tools

Install and update apps with winget

Install and update Windows software from the terminal with Microsoft’s winget CLI.

9 min read Beginner Updated 9 Jun 2026

Step-by-step guide

Work through each section in order. Stop when your issue is resolved — you do not need every step for every situation.

Warning

Use an administrator account for these steps, and keep a recent backup before making repair or security changes.

What you will achieve

Install and update Windows software from the terminal with Microsoft’s winget CLI.

1) Search and install packages

winget search vscode
winget install --id Microsoft.VisualStudioCode -e

2) Upgrade installed packages

winget upgrade
winget upgrade --all

3) Export package list for rebuilds

winget export -o winget-packages.json

Related guides

package manager windows winget