In Windows, installing programs has always been a very manual task. To do this, you need to search for the program on the Internet, download the installer, run it and follow the wizard to the end. And although with the arrival of Windows 10 the Microsoft Store has become fashionable, there are many who continue to prefer classic programs when working with the PC. On other systems, such as Linux, it is possible to download and install programs from an updated public database (repository) through a simple command in a terminal. And now, thanks to WinGet , Windows has a similar tool. A tool that, in addition, does nothing but improve.
If Linux users miss something when working on Windows, it is a package manager. Linux users are used to using the “apt” tool (or similar) to find programs, download, install and update them. With a simple command it is possible to have all the programs up to date, while in Windows this basic maintenance task is much more manual.
Microsoft has been working on its own (and controversial) package manager for Windows for several months now: Windows Package Manager , also known as “WinGet.” Thanks to it, Windows 10 users will be able to search, download and install all kinds of programs from CMD or PowerShell.
The program will surely become part of Windows in the future, although for now it is in a very early phase of its development. However, Microsoft is still working on it. And the new version 0.2.10191 brings with it a long-awaited feature: the ability to uninstall programs with it.
Uninstalling programs with Windows Package Manager is a reality
The initial version of this tool basically allowed us to explore the repositories, install programs and verify their correct operation, but little else. Now, starting with this new version, we add an important feature to WinGet.
Still in an experimental phase, users who install the latest Preview version of this tool will finally be able to uninstall programs using the following command, followed by the name of the package (program) that we want to delete:
winget uninstall
Finally, Windows Package Manager is one step closer to its main rivals, such as APT on Linux, and even Chocolatey on Windows itself. There is still work to do, but we are happy to know that the development of this tool is still on the right track.
Download WinGet
Although Microsoft intends to publish this tool within the Windows 10 store , it is not available at the moment. Therefore, if we want to be able to use this new version, with its new features, we must download it manually from its GitHub repository , and install it on the computer.
Although it seems like a small update, it is actually a big step towards the future of this tool. And although many users may think that it is a complicated tool, when it works through CMD, in reality it is the opposite. With a couple of commands we can have it fully controlled and we can search, install or delete programs in seconds.
And if we are still not convinced, we can resort to using tools such as WinInstall , which allow us to create our own script to install, in seconds, the programs we want on the PC.