Installing and Using Chocolatey

Chocolatey is a package manager for Windows that simplifies installing, updating, and managing applications via the command line. It automates popular program installations, saving time and eliminating the need to manually download setup files. In this guide, we’ll cover how to install and effectively use Chocolatey.

Step 1: Installing Chocolatey

Before installing Chocolatey, ensure you have administrator rights on your device and that both PowerShell and .NET Framework 4.5 or higher are installed.

How to Install Chocolatey

  1. Open PowerShell as an administrator. To do this, search for PowerShell in the Windows search bar, right-click on it, and select "Run as administrator."
  2. Paste the following command into the PowerShell window and press Enter: 
    Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))
  3. Wait for the installation to complete. Once installed, Chocolatey is ready to use.

Step 2: Installing Applications with Chocolatey

After successfully installing Chocolatey, you can begin installing applications with simple and convenient commands:

choco install app_name

For example, to install Google Chrome, run the following command:

choco install googlechrome

Chocolatey will automatically download and install the application, eliminating the need for additional steps.

Step 3: Updating and Uninstalling Applications

Chocolatey also makes it easy to update and uninstall installed applications. Here are some useful commands:

  • Updating all applications: To update all installed programs, use: 
    choco upgrade all
  • Uninstalling applications: To uninstall a specific application, run: 
    choco uninstall app_name

Useful Chocolatey Commands

Here are a few more helpful commands for working with Chocolatey:

  • choco list – displays a list of available packages.
  • choco search app_name – searches for a specific application in the Chocolatey library.
  • choco outdated – shows a list of applications with available updates.

Benefits of Using Chocolatey

Chocolatey greatly simplifies the process of managing programs on Windows. Some of its advantages include:

  • Automated installation and updates: You no longer need to manually search and download installation files or updates for programs.
  • Time-saving: Install multiple programs simultaneously with one command, especially helpful when setting up new devices.
  • Convenient management: Chocolatey gives you complete control over all installed applications, allowing you to quickly perform any necessary actions.