Winget Upgrade is a Node.js command line tool that automates the process of updating software on your computer using Windows Package Manager (Winget).
Winget Upgrade uses Winget commands to update all software installed on your computer. It automatically checks for Winget on your system, performs the software updates, and keeps an event log for easy tracking of the process.
Windows Package Manager (Winget) is a package management tool for Windows that allows
you to easily install, update and uninstall software directly from the command line.
Winget allows you to update installed programs quickly and conveniently, making it
a useful tool for keeping your system up to date.
Before starting the update, the program checks whether Winget is installed on the system. If Winget is not installed, the program displays an error message and stops execution, providing instructions on how to install it.
Next, the program checks the version of Winget. If the version of Winget is less than the one required for correct execution of commands, the program displays an error message and provides instructions on how to update Winget to the latest version via the Microsoft Store or the command line.
The Winget Upgrade program uses winget upgrade to discover which installed packages currently have an update available, filters out anything on the ignore list, then calls winget upgrade --id once per remaining package to update it individually. Upgrade process:
- Automatically accepts the terms of the agreement.
- Disables interactivity, allowing the upgrade process to continue without interruption.
- Distinguishes an actual upgrade from "already up to date" and from a genuine failure, so the final summary is accurate.
The program runs as a full-screen console UI (not a scrolling log) with dedicated panels: session state (how many packages are installed in total, up to date, to update, and ignored - even when there's nothing to do), the current operation, live progress for whichever package is being upgraded, and a scrolling log of recent events. A footer shows the available keys: F2 opens the settings screen, F5 skips the package currently upgrading, and Esc exits (asking for confirmation if an upgrade is still running).
The interface text is in Ukrainian when Windows' system language is Ukrainian, and in English otherwise; this can be changed at any time from the settings screen (see below).
Press F2 once winget has been detected (the key is disabled and shown dimmed until then) to open the settings screen. It has three tabs, switched with ←/→; within a tab, ↑/↓ moves between options and Enter/Space changes the highlighted one:
- General - autostart (creates or removes a shortcut in the Windows Startup folder), the language switch (Ukrainian/English, takes effect immediately), how long the program waits on the final summary screen before auto-exiting (never / 30 seconds / 60 seconds - the countdown is shown live and restarts from the top if you open the settings screen while it's counting down), and a curated subset of winget's own configuration: install scope (current user or entire machine), whether install notes are shown, whether winget's interactive prompts are allowed, and the maximum resume-attempt count. These are written directly to winget's own
settings.json. - Ignore list - a scrollable, checkable list of every installed package with a live incremental search (just start typing to filter) and a "selected of total" counter. Already-ignored packages (matched the same way as the real upgrade run - exact id or partial match) are shown in their own section above the rest. Checking a package adds its exact identifier to
winget_ignore.txt, unchecking removes it; entries you've added by hand (partial matches likechrome) are left untouched. - Advanced - two administrator-gated winget overrides: skipping the malware scan for local archive installers, and continuing an install when the installer hash doesn't match. Turning either on triggers a real Windows elevation (UAC) prompt; the on-screen state is always re-read from winget afterward rather than assumed.
The program keeps a log of events in the file winget_upgrade.log, which stores information about:
- Actions performed.
- Errors.
- Other events related to the upgrade process.
The log file winget_upgrade.log is stored next to the program itself, and is also reachable from the Start Menu group.
The log is automatically truncated if its size exceeds 256 KB to avoid file overflow.
When the program is first launched, it generates a plain text ignore file template winget_ignore.txt, listing the packages that should not be updated. Each entry goes on its own line, and it doesn't need to be the exact package identifier - any part of the name or id is enough, matched case-insensitively. Lines starting with # are treated as comments. For example:
# 7zip
# Google.Chrome
7zip
chrome
This matches 7zip.7zip and both Google.Chrome and any other package whose id contains "chrome".
If an older winget_ignore.json from a previous version is found, its entries are automatically migrated into winget_ignore.txt and the old file is kept as winget_ignore.json.bak.
The program logs which packages were ignored, one per line, in both the console and the log file.
On every launch, the program checks GitHub for a newer release (with a short animated "Checking for updates..." indicator). If one is found, it downloads and silently installs it right away, then restarts automatically - no confirmation needed. Already being on the latest version simply continues with the regular upgrade process.
| Supported on Windows versions with winget (Windows Package Manager) support: Windows 10 Version 1809 (Build 17763) and later or Windows 11 |  |
|---|
Download WingetUpgradeSetup.exe from the release page and run it:
- The installer runs for the current user only - no administrator rights are required.
- During installation you can leave the "Start Winget Upgrade automatically when I sign in" task checked (enabled by default) to have it run at every sign-in, or uncheck it if you'd rather launch it manually - this can also be changed later from the settings screen (
F2), without reinstalling. - The Start Menu group also includes shortcuts straight to the ignore list (
winget_ignore.txt) and the log file (winget_upgrade.log) for quick access. - Once installed, the program can be removed at any time from "Apps & features" ("Programs and Features").
In case of errors, the program displays the corresponding messages in the console and writes them to the log file for further analysis.
When the program is finished updating, it automatically exits to free up system resources.