Did you know that Windows has a cool feature called a package manager?
Those of you who have used Linux before might already be very familiar with a package manager,
but in case you aren't, a package manager is a quick way to manage programs from a command line.
They've been part of Linux for a very long time, but Windows only recently got a package manager
as a standard feature. Wait a second, a command line?
You mean the way my grandpa uses computer back in the 80s?
Why the heck would you install or update programs that way?
Can't you just download what you want through a web browser or the Microsoft Store?
Of course, you can do those things that way, but Windows package manager called Wingit
differs in a couple of important ways. Wingit can provide a very comprehensive list
of everything installed on your computer simply by typing this command.
But you can also keep most of your programs up to date
easily regardless of whether or not they're in the Microsoft Store.
You see, Wingit operates by consulting a Microsoft-maintained repository of packages,
and a package contains both the software you want
as well as information about any dependencies
it might need to run properly, such as additional files or resources.
Some of the packages in the Wingit repository are Microsoft programs,
but there are lots of third-party programs as well.
As of the time we wrote this video, Wingit had over 7,000 packages in its repository.
Surely you're running some of those programs? This means one of the things Wingit excels at
is keeping your programs up to date with one command.
Just type this into the command prompt, hit Enter, and everything on your system
that can be updated through Wingit will be listed and the installation process will begin immediately
as Wingit pulls packages from either Microsoft itself
or from third-party servers that hosts the software that you want.
This includes popular tools such as OBS, BLC, Zoom, Discord, and various game launchers.
Much easier than trying to go and check for updates
for all those programs manually, especially if you have lots of programs installed
that aren't kept up to date through the Microsoft Store. If you're migrating to a new PC,
Wingit can make it easy for you to quickly install many of the programs you had on your old PC.
This is because Wingit has an export feature which creates a list of the supported packages
installed on your PC, which you can save to a USB drive by using this command.
Just enter the drive letter of your flash drive, then insert the drive into your new PC
and type in this import command to install everything on your list.
Just like with the update example we mentioned earlier, it's easier than downloading programs one by one
and delete packages you don't need on the new system before importing it.
If it doesn't spark joy, uninstall. Wingit can also search for and install new programs
without having to click through a bunch of installation screens.
You can search with this command and install a program without those messy dialogue scenes
by using this command. If you want a no fuss uninstallation
of something on your PC, you can pull this off by typing this in.
But do you remember how we said that Wingit lists more installed programs
than what you might see in the settings app? This means that Wingit could make it easier
for you to inadvertently remove something your system depends on.
So unless you're really familiar with the packages you're trying to remove,
we'd recommend just uninstalling through the settings app instead.
Wingit was designed more for advanced users. So the assumption is you know what you're doing
a little more than the average Joe if you're revving up this command prompt.
No disrespect meant to you average Joe's who might be watching this video, of course.
We love you and we hope you become advanced Joe's. Maybe by using Wingit.
Thanks for watching. If you liked this video, check out our other video on why Windows 11
has been so slow to gain users.
I say from your Windows XP desktop.