Installing applications on Windows manually can be time-consuming and involves several steps, including finding the most recent version of the application or program, downloading the installer file, signing agreements, clicking Next to proceed to the next step, and manually unchecking the ad, toolbar or packages you don’t need. Some even require users to close all other running applications during installation.
In this article, we will show you how to use the Windows Package Manager to install applications and programs from the command line.
opener Chocolatey Package Manager
Windows Package Managers are a collection of tools that enable users to automate the installation, configuration, and updating of applications and programs.
Chocolatey is a safe and simple Windows package manager. Using a few snippets of code, you can install applications and programs, and manage and track updates.
It is free and open source for personal and commercial use. For users looking for advanced features, Chocolatey offers premium upgrades.
Install Chocolatey
- From the Windows Start menu, find Command Prompt and click Run as Administrator.
- The command line will appear in a window like the image below.
- Enter the following code into the command line and press Enter.
@ â€% SystemRoot% System32 WindowsPowerShell v1.0 powershell.exe†-NoProfile -InputFormat None – ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command “iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient). DownloadString (‘https://chocolatey.org/install.ps1’)) “&& SET” PATH =% PATH%;% ALLUSERSPROFILE% chocolatey bin ”
During the installation process, you will see a lot of text that scrolls in the command window.
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Install Applications using the Windows opener”>Chocolatey Package Manager
To install apps, start by opening a word document on your desktop to list the apps you want to install. Then, in a web browser, navigate to the Chocolately App Directory, Community Supported Packages.
For each application you want to install, enter the following command in the text file:
choco install [package name] -fy
For [package name], use the name that appears in the application directory. For example, if you want to install Mozilla Firefox, use the following code:
choco install firefox
The -fy part of the command is a notation that tells Chocolatey to select yes when any prompt appears during installation. This helps to automate the process and keep it as simple as possible.
Each application you want to install must be on a separate line in the text file. Each line must be the same except for the application name.
After listing all the applications you want to include, you can use one line to install them all at the same time using the following code for the example above:
choco install firefox -fy.install install firefox -fy.adobereader -fy.install 7zip.install -fy.install notepadplusplus -fy.install skype – fy
Save the text tile and close it. It must have a .txt extension. If not, you will need to enable file name extensions in File Explorer by following these steps:
Including file extensions
- Open File Explorer by clicking the file icon at the bottom of the screen.
Enable File Extensions
- Open File Explorer by clicking the file icon at the bottom of the screen.
- You can also open File Explorer by typing File Explorer into the Windows search bar.
- Click the View tab at the top and check the File Name Extensions box to include it.
- Once you can save the text file with the .txt extension, rename it with the .bat extension. Right click on the new .bat file and select “Run as administrator“.
- This action will make Chocolatey launch and install all of your applications. Save the .bat file for future reference.
Install everything using a single line
It is also possible to install all of your applications and the Windows Chocolatey package manager at the same time with a single .bat file.
- Open the generated .bat file and add it after the Chocolatey install command as follows:
@ “% SystemRoot% System32 WindowsPowerShell v1.0 powershell.exe” -NoProfile -InputFormat None -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command “iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient) .DownloadString (‘https: // chocolate .org / install.ps1 ?)) “&& SET” PATH =% PATH%;% ALLUSERSPROFILE% chocolatey bin ”
choco install firefox -fy
choco install install firefox -fy
choco install adobereader -fy
choco install 7zip.install -fy
choco install notepadplusplus -fy
choco install skype – fy
The command above enables word wrap for easier reading. However, when you run the command, it should be one line, as you can see below:
@ â€% SystemRoot% System32 WindowsPowerShell v1.0 powershell.exe†-NoProfile -InputFormat None -ExecutionPolicy Bypass – Command “iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient) .DownloadString (‘https://chocolatey.org/install.ps1’))” && SET “PATH =% PATH%;% ALLUSERSPROFILE% chocolatey bin” choco install firefox -fy.choco install install firefox -fy.choco install adobereader -fy.choco install 7zip.install -fy.choco install notepadplusplus -fy.choco install skype – fy
Save the file to use it again when you need it to install all your favorite applications and Chocolatey at the same time.
Use Chocolatey to install applications and programs from the command line. It has a huge database of Windows packages that are thoroughly tested.
It is an automated tool that performs the routine and time consuming steps of getting and installing programs and applications for you. Users simply choose what they want to install and Chocolatey will download the latest version without any action from you.
Consider a situation where you want to update all programs and applications on your computer to make sure you are using the latest and most secure versions. To do this manually, you must:
- Find the most recent version
- Choose the correct download
- Watch the installation process so that you don’t download everything. which you don’t need, such as toolbars, which are enabled by default and require you to uncheck them.
- Follow this process for each program
Or use the Windows opener”>Chocolatey Package Manager to open a command prompt, type:
choco upgrade all -y
Done.
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