The Windows system comes with many applications, but the real fun lies in installing third-party software, such as Spotify, Photoshop, Google Chrome, Apple Music, Steam, etc.

Installing these software usually requires visiting their official website and looking for download links. Since the release of Windows 8 in 2012, the Microsoft Store (formerly known as the Windows Store) has also provided a mobile app store-like experience.

There is also a little-known third option: Windows Package Manager. It runs in a Windows terminal (the text-based interface of the Microsoft operating system), and while this makes it less friendly initially, it is fast and lightweight, and is ideal for installing a variety of programs.

Get Started Using Windows Package Manager

Open the Windows command line by starting the Start menu and searching for "powershell". Right-click the top result and select Run as administrator. After entering the terminal interface, type "winget" and press Enter to view the description of the Windows Package Manager and its functions (there is also a lot of useful information on the Microsoft website).

Windows Package Manager uses typing commands instead of on-screen clicks: it takes some time to get used to, but once you understand all the commands, it is actually a faster and more efficient way to manage software. In addition to installing new programs, you can also update and uninstall applications.

To get help for a specific command, type "winget -?" and press Enter to replace the "" string with the command you need help with. For example, to see how the main installation command works, type "winget install -?" and press Enter. You will see all the installation options and how to use them.

A easy to get started command is to type the command "winget list:" and press Enter and you will get a list of all the programs currently installed on the system, as well as the relevant version numbers. The name of the program on the left is the name you need to know when installing and updating the application.

You can also use Windows Package Manager to get more information about programs on your system - which is very convenient if you want to uninstall suspicious software that you are not actually using or running on Windows. To do this, type "winget show " and press Enter to replace the "program" string with the name of the application you want to view. You will see the publisher's name and support website, as well as a lot of other information about the program.

Install the application using Windows Package Manager

When you are ready to start installing applications using Windows Package Manager, you need to know the name of the program: This is not as easy as finding programs online. You can use the very useful Winstall website finder (including popular programs like Spotify and Chrome); or you can type "winget search " on the command line and press Enter key (replace "" Replace with the name of the software program).

What you are looking for is the program ID, which you can then type into the command line. Installing Google Chrome is an action that many people do on a new computer, for which you will type "winget install --id=Google.Chrome -e" and press the

Enter key ("-e" flag Find exact package matches).

This is much easier than opening Microsoft Edge, navigating to Google Chrome websites, clicking on all options, finding download packages, and setting them up on your computer. As you become more familiar with commands and application names, you will start saving more time.

You can also install multiple different programs at the same time with one command - this is much easier than finding and downloading them separately. Simply add more program IDs to the commands and separate them with spaces, and the Windows Package Manager will get all the programs and install them. You can even save this command as a text file to deploy at any time if needed.

You can use Windows Package Manager to perform more. For example, to update all installed programs, type "winget upgrade -h -all" and press

Enter (the "-h" flag indicates that the update is running in the background). Meanwhile, if you want to remove the software from the system, you can type "winget uninstall" and the name of the package ID, and then press Enter to confirm your selection.

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