- Windows Package Manager version 1.4 rolls out to users.
- The update brings support to install packages in zip files, command aliases, and a new “wait” option.
- The new version also introduces changes to the upgrade process of already installed applications.
Microsoft is now rolling out the Windows Package Manager version 1.4 (winget) with a bunch of improvements and new features like support to install zip-based packages, command aliases, a new “wait” option, and more.
Winget zip support
According to the official announcement, the winget command now extracts and runs app installers (MSIX, MSI, and EXE) inside a “.zip” file or installs multiple portable packages from the compressed file.
Command aliases
This update also introduces aliases for commands to make running different actions easier without being specific. For example, running the “find” alias like winget find vscode is the same as using the winget search vscode command.
For instance, when you run the winget command without arguments, the help will display the available commands. The available aliases will be displayed when you run the winget <command> --help.
Upgrade packages changes
Since some packages require explicit arguments to perform an upgrade to prevent issues, in this release, there are some additional enhancements to detect that the package was already installed and switch to the upgrade flow. If you don’t want the upgrade, you can pass --no-upgrade.
Finally, Microsoft is changing the default behavior to upgrade packages that can upgrade by themselves. If you run the winget upgrade --all command and one or more of these packages are encountered, they will be skipped. If you want to include them, add the --include-explicit option.
Wait option for winget
Windows Package Manager version 1.4 also introduces the --wait option to prevent text from disappearing quickly when running a script or debugging.
Finally, when you run the winget show <package>, the command will show more manifest values like tags and purchase URLs added to the output.
Installing winget
The package manager is distributed with the App Installer application, which is built into the operating system.
The Windows Package Manager is an open-source project, which means that other package managers can leverage this repository of validated packages. In addition, software vendors can use the distribution system to make apps available to users after their package manifest has been reviewed and accepted by Microsoft using the open-source Microsoft Community Package Manifest Repository on GitHub.
Update June 2, 2023: Microsoft has released a second update for version 1.4 (build 1.4.11071), which in addition to “.zip” installs, also introduces the ability to use the winget command on PowerShell.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.