How to Install Package Manager in Windows 11?

Installing a package manager on Windows 11 is a convenient way to streamline your software management. One of the most popular tools for this purpose is Winget, the built-in Windows 11 package manager. With Winget, you can easily download, install, and update software via the command line, making it an efficient solution for managing apps. In this guide, we'll show you how to install package manager in Windows 11 and start using Winget for all your software installation needs.

What is a Package Manager?

A package manager is used to install, download, or even update new and currently installed programs in any operating system. Package managers are widely used in different operating systems, but they are rarely used in the Windows operating system.

There are common package managers used in Linux distributions, but when it comes to Windows, there is only one package manager that is officially used for managing programs, and it is called Winget. So, let's understand how we can install the package manager in Windows 11.

Methods to Install Package Manager in Windows 11

There are mainly two ways to install package manager on Windows 11, one using Microsoft Store, and another one using PowerShell. Each method is shown below. You can install a package manager with any of these 2 methods.

Method 1: Download Package Manager in Windows Using the Microsoft Store

To Install package manager in Windows 11, we will have to use the Microsoft store, so for this method, we will have to follow the below steps:

Step 1: Open Microsoft Store

Go to Start menu > Search Microsoft Store > Open it.

Step 2: Install/Update the App Installer

Install App Installer > Update it.

That's it, now the package manager is installed in Windows 11, and we can access it easily.

Method 2: Windows 11 Winget install

If you do not want to use the above method to install the package manager in Windows for some reason then you can use this method to install the package manager as well, in this method we will install the package manager using PowerShell, for this we will have to follow the below steps:

Step 1: Open Powershell

Go to Start menu > Search Powershell > Run it.

Step 2: Download Winget using PowerShell

Next, you will have to download the widget using PowerShell for this you can directly paste the following command and it will install the widget using PowerShell:

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli/releases/download/v1.3.2691/Microsoft.DesktopAppInstaller_8wekyb3d8bbwe.msixbundle -OutFile .\MicrosoftDesktopAppInstaller_8wekyb3d8bbwe.msixbundle

This will give you no output which means that the widget is successfully installed, as you can see below:

That is it, you have now finally installed the package manager in Windows 11, Install and use Winget on Windows 11.

Step 3: Check whether Package Manager for Windows 11 is Installed or Not.

To check whether the Package manager for Windows 11 is installed or not, we can run the following command in the PowerShell after installing the package manager in Windows:

Command: winget

If this gives you the following output then it means the package manager is properly installed in Windows:

Using Winget as a package manager in Windows 11

Now that we have installed the package manager let's also take a look at how we can view the list of programs that are currently installed in our system using this package manager, for this we will have to use the following command:

Command: winget list

This will ask you if you agree with the terms, so simply type "Y" to confirm that you agree and then it will show you the list of programs that are installed:

Conclusion

Setting up the package manager on Windows 11 with Winget simplifies the process of managing software installations. Whether you're looking to install, update, or remove programs, Winget offers a fast and user-friendly solution. By learning how to use package manager on Windows, you can automate and manage app installations with ease, ensuring that your system is always up to date.