OnlyWinget is a Windows desktop app for preparing reusable lists of applications, finding packages, and reviewing WinGet and Windows updates in one WinUI 3 interface.
| Task | Where to start |
|---|---|
| Create, edit, import or export a package list; install or uninstall selected entries | Packages → Presets. Exchange files use onlywinget.preset.v1; package identity includes both ID and source. |
| Search enabled WinGet sources and install selected results directly or add them to a preset | Packages → Search. Results include package ID, source and version. |
| Scan for application upgrades and apply selected rows | Updates → WinGet. Results and diagnostics remain available after failures or cancellation. |
| Scan Windows Update and install selected updates | Updates → Windows Update. Separate options control software, drivers, Microsoft updates and optional updates. |
| Refresh source metadata, enable or disable sources locally, add, remove or reset sources | Sources. Add, remove and reset require an elevated app. |
| Read, filter, copy or export activity and diagnostic logs | Activity and Open logs. |
| Choose English/Italian, system/light/dark appearance and operation preferences | Settings. Changes save automatically. |
flowchart LR
Start["Choose a task"] --> Packages["Packages: presets or search"]
Start --> Updates["Updates: WinGet or Windows Update"]
Packages --> Select["Review and select rows"]
Updates --> Select
Select --> Run["Run the selected action"]
Run --> Results["Review results and Activity"]
Results --> Retry["Check current state before retrying failures"]
See the Italian user guide for each workflow and recovery path.
- Windows 10 build 17763 or later, or Windows 11, on x64. This is the project's declared target; it is not a claim of testing on every Windows release.
- Microsoft App Installer providing
wingetonPATHfor package operations. - Network access to the selected package sources or update service for discovery and downloads.
- Administrator rights for source add/remove/reset and Windows Update installation. Package installers can have their own elevation requirements.
The setup and portable ZIP bundle .NET and Windows App Runtime dependencies. OnlyWinget starts with asInvoker; it does not automatically restart itself with administrator rights.
For published builds, check GitHub Releases. The supported distribution formats are an x64 NSIS setup EXE and a self-contained x64 portable ZIP. If the Releases page has no assets, use the source instructions below.
- Run the setup, or extract the entire portable ZIP and open
OnlyWinget.exe. - Open Sources and check which sources are available and enabled.
- Open Packages → Search to find applications, or create a preset under Packages → Presets.
- Review the selected entries before starting an install, uninstall or update. Check Activity for the outcome.
Portable describes the application files: settings and workspace still use %LOCALAPPDATA%\OnlyWinget by default.
Use PowerShell 7 and the exact .NET SDK pinned in global.json. From the repository root:
winget --version
dotnet --version
pwsh -File .\scripts\run.ps1 -Task Setup -NonInteractive
pwsh -File .\scripts\run.ps1 -Task Build -Configuration Release -NoRestore -NonInteractive
pwsh -File .\scripts\run.ps1 -Task Dev -Configuration Release -NoRestore -NonInteractiveDev launches an existing build. The scripts can install missing prerequisites where supported; set ONLYWINGET_SKIP_AUTO_INSTALL=1 to fail instead. Setup creation also requires NSIS 3.x. See script reference and operations for checks, output locations and isolated app-data runs.
Presets and the active-preset choice use SQLite (onlywinget.db); settings, source preferences and diagnostic logs are stored beside it under %LOCALAPPDATA%\OnlyWinget. Activity is kept in the current app session and can be exported. Legacy workspace JSON can be imported on startup. Diagnostic files rotate at 10 MiB, with retention of at most 14 recognized files / 140 MiB after successful writes.
Only one workflow runs at a time. Cancellation requests a stop and preserves available results; it does not roll back installations or prove that a native update has stopped. Check installed state before retrying an unconfirmed package. A failed or cancelled apply does not trigger an automatic rescan.
Windows Update uses asynchronous COM jobs, with PowerShell fallback when COM cannot be activated. An installation failure is not retried automatically through the fallback. Real download/install qualification and upgrade reconciliation against an authentic older installer remain limited; see operations and release checks.
flowchart LR
UI["WinUI presentation"] --> App["Application workflows"]
App --> Domain["Domain models and validation"]
Infra["Infrastructure adapters"] --> App
Infra --> SQLite["Local SQLite workspace"]
Infra --> Winget["WinGet CLI"]
Infra --> WUA["Windows Update Agent"]
Arrows between layers show code dependencies; AppComposition.cs connects the adapters at startup.
- Documentation index
- User guide — Italiano
- Architecture
- Development and troubleshooting
- Release and packaging
Report reproducible problems through GitHub Issues, including the app version, Windows version, affected workflow and error code. Review exported logs before attaching them: they can contain package names, source addresses and local paths.
OnlyWinget is proprietary software. Copyright (c) 2026 Danny Perondi. All rights reserved. See LICENSE.
To report a vulnerability, see SECURITY.md. The repository contains build and release workflows in .github/workflows/, but GitHub Actions are disabled: build and package locally with the scripts above.