How to install chocolatey/choco on Windows 10

How to install chocolatey/choco on Windows 10

In this article, I will show you how to install Chocolatey on Windows 10. Chocolatey is an easy-to-use Software Package Manager for Windows similar to apt on ubuntu/debian or brew on OSX.

Steps to Install chocolatey/choco on Windows 10

  1. Click Start and type “powershell
  2. Right-click Windows Powershell and choose “Run as Administrator
  3. Paste the following command into Powershell and press enter.
    Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; `
      iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))
  4. Answer Yes when prompted
  5. Close and reopen an elevated PowerShell window to start using choco

Choco is now installed and can be used from a PowerShell prompt or a regular command prompt windows to install many different software packages. Whichever one you use, just make sure you run choco from an elevated powershell/command prompt window.

Package Search with choco

choco search [keyword]
You can search the choco repository to see exactly what software chocolatey can install.

C:\>choco search hugo
Chocolatey v0.10.8
hugo 0.32.2 [Approved] Downloads cached for licensed users
pcwrunas 0.4.0.20161129 [Approved] Downloads cached for licensed users
lightworks 14.0.0.20171007 [Approved]
3 packages found.

Passing in the -v flag will give you more detailed information about each package.
choco search hugo -v

I commonly use choco to install & update Hugo and sometimes Python3. Hugo is a excellent Static Website Generator written Go. Let’s try installing it!

Install software with choco

choco install [packagename]

C:\WINDOWS\system32>choco install hugo
Chocolatey v0.10.8
Installing the following packages:
hugo
By installing you accept licenses for the packages.
Progress: Downloading hugo 0.32.2... 100%
hugo v0.32.2 [Approved]
hugo package files install completed. Performing other installation steps.
The package hugo wants to run 'chocolateyInstall.ps1'.
Note: If you don't run this script, the installation will fail.
Note: To confirm automatically next time, use '-y' or consider:
choco feature enable -n allowGlobalConfirmation
Do you want to run the script?([Y]es/[N]o/[P]rint): y
Downloading hugo 64 bit
...
 The install of hugo was successful.
  Software installed to 'C:\ProgramData\chocolatey\lib\hugo\tools'
Chocolatey installed 1/1 packages.
 See the log for details (C:\ProgramData\chocolatey\logs\chocolatey.log).

Upgrade software with choco

choco upgrade [packagename]

C:\>choco upgrade hugo
Chocolatey v0.10.8
Upgrading the following packages:
hugo
By upgrading you accept licenses for the packages.
hugo v0.32.2 is the latest version available based on your source(s).
Chocolatey upgraded 0/1 packages.
 See the log for details (C:\ProgramData\chocolatey\logs\chocolatey.log).

Installing choco updates

choco upgrade chocolatey
Choco can also upgrade itself.

C:\>choco upgrade chocolatey
Chocolatey v0.10.8
Chocolatey detected you are not running from an elevated command shell
 (cmd/powershell).

 You may experience errors - many functions/packages
 require admin rights. Only advanced users should run choco w/out an
 elevated shell. When you open the command shell, you should ensure
 that you do so with "Run as Administrator" selected. If you are
 attempting to use Chocolatey in a non-administrator setting, you
 must select a different location other than the default install
 location. See
 https://chocolatey.org/install#non-administrative-install for details.


 Do you want to continue?([Y]es/[N]o): Y

Upgrading the following packages:
chocolatey
By upgrading you accept licenses for the packages.
chocolatey v0.10.8 is the latest version available based on your source(s).

Chocolatey upgraded 0/1 packages.
 See the log for details (C:\ProgramData\chocolatey\logs\chocolatey.log).

List Packages installed by Choco

choco list --local-only

C:\>choco list --local-only
Chocolatey v0.10.8
7zip 16.4.0.20170506
chocolatey 0.10.8
chocolatey-core.extension 1.3.1
hugo 0.31.1
4 packages installed.

Advanced choco usage examples

Now that we have covered the basics, let’s look at some advanced choco examples.

choco install chrome --yes
The -y, --yes switch will make choco install without asking you any questions. This is useful if you are using choco in a batch file or powershell script.
choco search Git -ev
The -v, --verbose switch will print detailed package information but the search keyword usually matches multiple packages and it all goes flying by.
The -e, --exact flag will narrow down the output to one particular packgae.
choco search Git -ea
Adding the -a, --all switch will list all versions of a specific package.
C:\>choco search Git -ea
Chocolatey v0.10.8
git 2.15.1.2 [Approved]
git 2.15.1 [Approved]
git 2.15.0 [Approved]
git 2.14.3 [Approved]
git 2.14.2.20170927 [Approved]
git 2.14.2 [Approved]
...
choco search python --order-by-popularity
The --order-by-popularity switch will sort the search results, most popular packages first.

More Useful Software to Install with choco

Here is a list of useful software that I use, they can all be installed using choco.

  • choco install chrome – Google Chrome Browser
  • choco install git – Git cli Client for Windows
  • choco install github – Official GUI-Based Git Client
  • choco install 7zip – Archive utility to compress/uncompress zip, tar, gz, bzip and other formats.
  • choco install SublimeText3 – An execellent markdown & source code editor.
  • choco install vlc – An open-source media player
  • choco install putty – An open-source SSH client
  • choco install keepass – An open-source Password Manager
  • choco install greenshot – My favorite screenshot utility for Windows
  • choco install imagemagick.app – A suite of cli tools for working with and converting images

Thanks for following along, I hope you enjoyed this guide. Installing software on Windows with choco is a breeze. You will never want to go back to the Next, Next, Next, Finish GUI-based software installers.

If you’ve enjoyed this article about Chocolatey, please take a moment to leave a comment below or share it on social media. – JCutrer

References

Amazon AWS too complex and expensive? You will love the simplicity of DigitalOcean. Deploy your next app in seconds. Get $100 in cloud credits from DigitalOcean

Ad Notice I will receive a small commission that helps support this blog at no cost to you.

pictory

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Ads Blocker Image Powered by Code Help Pro

🙏🙏A Humble Request to Disable AdBlock 🙏🙏

You can close this message & continue reading but...
❤️❤️❤️ Please consider visiting one of my sponsors first ❤️❤️❤️

DigitalOcean 🚀

Sign up and get a $200, 60-day credit to try DO.
Spend $25 after your credit expires and I will also get $25 in credit!
DigitalOcean Referral Badge

Pictory 🤖

Create amazing videos using Pictorys AI powered software.
Its FREE to create your first 3 video projects
pictory


Hi Reader, I noticed that you are using an ad blocker while visiting my website. While I completely understand that excessive ads can hinder your browsing experience, ad revenue helps pay for the cost associated with operating this website.

jcutrer.com is a labor of love, created with the primary aim to provide you with quality content, free of cost. It’s a space where I share information, ideas, and insights that I hope have a meaningful impact. However, maintaining and updating this platform incurs substantial costs.

Sincerely,
Jonathan