Winget Update Manager is a comprehensive PowerShell automation tool designed for Windows system administrators and power users. It provides intelligent application lifecycle management using Windows Package Manager (winget) with advanced features including smart application detection, persistent exclusion management, and comprehensive logging capabilities.
| 🎯 Smart Detection Intelligent app matching |
⚡ Multiple Modes 8 execution modes |
🛡️ Usage Ready Advanced logging |
🔧 Easy Setup One-line installation |
iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://raw.github.com/sterbweise/winget-update/main/install.ps1'))After installation, use winget-update from anywhere in PowerShell
| 🔧 Installation | ⚙️ System Requirements | 🎮 Quick Start |
|---|---|---|
| 📚 Usage Guide | 🔧 Configuration | 🚀 Advanced Features |
| 🛠️ Troubleshooting | 🤝 Contributing | 📄 License |
📦 One-Line Installation (Recommended)
iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://raw.github.com/sterbweise/winget-update/main/install.ps1'))What this does:
- ✅ Downloads and installs the latest version
- ✅ Creates a global
winget-updatecommand - ✅ Sets up the necessary directory structure
- ✅ Configures PowerShell profile integration
📥 Manual Installation
# Download the script
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://raw.github.com/sterbweise/winget-update/main/winget-update.ps1" -OutFile "winget-update.ps1"
# Set execution policy
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
# Run the script
.\winget-update.ps1🔄 Git Installation
git clone https://github.com/sterbweise/winget-update.git
cd winget-update
.\winget-update.ps1 -Help| Component | Requirement | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 🖥️ OS | Windows 10 (1809+) / Windows 11 |  |
| ⚡ PowerShell | 5.1 / 7.0+ | |
| 📦 Winget | 1.0+ | |
| 🔐 Privileges | Administrator |  |
| 💾 Memory | 512 MB RAM |  |
| 💿 Storage | 100 MB | |
|
🔄 Standard Update winget-updateInteractive mode with modern interface and real-time progress 👀 Preview Mode winget-update -Mode dry-runSee what would be updated without making changes |
🤫 Silent Mode winget-update -Mode silentAutomated execution for scripts and scheduled tasks 🚀 Full Upgrade winget-update -Mode full-upgradeUpdates all packages including unknown versions |
| Mode | Description | Use Case | Icon |
|---|---|---|---|
normal |
Interactive with prompts | Desktop environments | 🖥️ |
silent |
Automated execution | Scheduled tasks | 🤫 |
dry-run |
Simulation mode | Testing & planning | 👀 |
force |
Bypass restrictions | Emergency updates | ⚡ |
verbose |
Detailed logging | Debugging | 📝 |
no-interaction |
Zero user input | Server environments | 🤖 |
full-upgrade |
Include all packages | Complete refresh | 🚀 |
safe-upgrade |
Conservative approach | Production systems | 🛡️ |
Temporary Exclusions
# Exclude apps from current session only
winget-update -ExcludeApps "Microsoft.Edge,Discord.Discord"- ✅ Supports both friendly names and exact IDs
- ✅ Use comma separation for multiple applications
- ✅ Only affects current update session
Permanent Exclusions
# Smart addition to permanent exclusion
winget-update -AddPersistentExcludeApps "Chrome"
# Smart removal from permanent exclusion
winget-update -RemovePersistentExcludeApps "Discord"- 🧠 Intelligent name matching
- 🔍 Shows suggestions for ambiguous matches
- 💾 Automatically saves to
persistent_exclude_apps.txt
Custom Parameters
# Pass custom parameters to winget
winget-update -CustomParams "--include-unknown --force"
# Production automation example
winget-update -Mode silent -ExcludeApps "Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.Community" -CustomParams "--accept-source-agreements"
# Maximum logging for debugging
winget-update -Mode verbose -CustomParams "--include-unknown --verbose-logs"📦 winget-update/
├── 📜 winget-update.ps1 # Main executable script
├── 📜 install.ps1 # Installation script
├── 📋 persistent_exclude_apps.txt # Permanent exclusion list
├── 📁 logs/ # Log file directory
│ └── 📄 winget_update_*.log # Timestamped execution logs
└── 📖 README.md # This documentation
| Category | Priority | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Development | 🔴 High | Visual Studio, Git, Docker |
| Security | 🔴 High | Antivirus, VPN, Firewall |
| Browser | 🟡 Medium | Chrome, Firefox, Edge |
| Productivity | 🟡 Medium | Office, Teams, Notion |
| Media | 🟢 Low | VLC, Spotify, OBS |
| Gaming | 🟢 Low | Steam, Discord, Epic |
|
🔍 Smart Name Matching # Input: "Visual Studio Code"
# Output: Microsoft.VisualStudioCode🎯 Fuzzy Search # Input: "Chrome"
# Output: Multiple matches with selection |
📊 Automatic Categorization
⚡ Performance Optimization
|
Windows Task Scheduler
$action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "powershell.exe" -Argument "-Command winget-update -Mode silent"
$trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Weekly -DaysOfWeek Sunday -At "2:00 AM"
Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName "WingetUpdateManager" -Action $action -Trigger $trigger -RunLevel HighestPowerShell Profile
# Add to $PROFILE for custom aliases
function Update-Apps { winget-update -Mode silent }
function Preview-Updates { winget-update -Mode dry-run }
function Update-Verbose { winget-update -Mode verbose }❌ winget Command Not Found
Symptoms: 'winget' is not recognized as an internal or external command
Solutions:
# Method 1: Install from Microsoft Store
# Search for "App Installer" and install
# Method 2: Manual installation
Add-AppxPackage -RegisterByFamilyName -MainPackage Microsoft.DesktopAppInstaller_8wekyb3d8bbwe
# Method 3: Download from GitHub
# Visit: https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli/releases🔒 Script Execution Policy Errors
Symptoms: Execution of scripts is disabled on this system
Solutions:
# Recommended: Set policy for current user
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
# Alternative: Bypass for single execution
powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File ".\winget-update.ps1"🛡️ Access Denied During Updates
Symptoms: Permission errors, "Access is denied" messages
Solutions:
# Check admin status
$isAdmin = ([Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal] [Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()).IsInRole([Security.Principal.WindowsBuiltInRole] "Administrator")
Write-Host "Running as Admin: $isAdmin"
# Run as Administrator
Start-Process powershell -Verb RunAs -ArgumentList "-File `"$PWD\winget-update.ps1`""🔍 Smart Detection Issues
Symptoms: Applications not found, "No matches found" errors
Solutions:
# List all installed applications
winget list | Out-GridView
# Search with partial name
winget search "Visual Studio"
# Use exact ID
winget-update -AddPersistentExcludeApps "Microsoft.VisualStudioCode"System Information Collection
$info = @{
"PowerShell Version" = $PSVersionTable.PSVersion
"Windows Version" = (Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem).Caption
"Winget Version" = (winget --version)
"Execution Policy" = (Get-ExecutionPolicy)
"Is Admin" = ([Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal] [Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()).IsInRole([Security.Principal.WindowsBuiltInRole] "Administrator")
}
$info | Format-Table -AutoSize| 🍴 Fork Fork the repository |
🌿 Branch Create feature branch |
✨ Develop Add your changes |
🧪 Test Test thoroughly |
📤 Submit Create pull request |
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/sterbweise/winget-update.git
cd winget-update
# Install development tools
Install-Module -Name Pester -Force
Install-Module -Name PSScriptAnalyzer -Force
# Run code analysis
Invoke-ScriptAnalyzer -Path ".\winget-update.ps1"This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for full details.
Summary: You are free to use, modify, distribute, and sell this software. No warranty is provided.
If you find this project helpful, please consider:
❤️ Developed by Sterbweise
Making Windows package management intelligent and effortless
