Windows Package Manager 1.0 General Availability

• Windows Package Manager is an open-source command-line tool for installing, upgrading, and configuring Windows 10 applications.
• It may help an organization deploy applications to Windows 10 devices and developer tools to Windows 10 workstations.
• Organizations should use Group Policy to manage Windows Package Manager.

Windows Package Manager, an open-source command-line tool for installing, upgrading, and configuring applications on Windows 10, became generally available in May 2021. Package managers are commonly used to deploy applications on Linux, as well as helping developers deploy and manage their software development environment. Although organizations may find Windows Package Manager useful for deploying some in-house developed applications and to assist developers configuring a development environment on workstations, most organizations will want to use Group Policy (GP) to carefully control users’ access to this tool.

Package Managers

A package manager can automate software deployment. It deploys software from packages that contain the executable and other files that make up an application. The installation and configuration is controlled by a manifest containing metadata describing the package and the repository from which it is available. A repository is a library of packages and manifests, usually accessed from the Internet or a private or local resource.