Before You Run WinGet Upgrade --all, Check What It Will Update

winget upgrade --all sounds like a status check. It is a batch update: WinGet looks for installed packages it can match to available updates and attempts to install those updates. To review first, run winget upgrade on its own. Microsoft documents that command as the way to list available upgrades before using --all. Read the WinGet upgrade reference .

This guide assumes WinGet is already available in your Windows Terminal, PowerShell or Command Prompt. WinGet is delivered with App Installer on supported Windows versions. If the command is not recognised, check App Installer through Microsoft’s documented route before downloading a command-line tool from an unfamiliar site. Microsoft’s WinGet overview explains how the client is delivered.

Check which sources WinGet can use

Before reviewing packages, see which repositories your PC has configured:

winget source list

Microsoft documents three default sources: msstore for the Microsoft Store catalogue, winget for the WinGet Community Repository, and winget-font for fonts. Your machine may show additional sources or different settings if an administrator or an earlier configuration changed them. The WinGet source reference explains the source list and what each default is for.

A source is part of the package identity. If a work or school PC shows a source you do not recognise, ask the person who manages the device before changing it. Do not remove or reset a source just to make a command succeed.

Preview the update candidates

Run:

winget upgrade

This lists packages for which WinGet finds an available upgrade; it does not start those upgrades. Review the app name, package ID, installed and available versions, and source. The list command’s update view also shows the available version and the source offering it. Microsoft’s upgrade reference describes the preview, and the list reference explains the version and source fields.

Do not choose from the name alone. Two packages can have similar names, and one app can appear in more than one source. If the ID, version or source does not fit the app you intended to update, stop and investigate before running an installer.

Inspect one package before updating it

Use winget show to read the selected package’s metadata. For example, Microsoft documents PowerToys under the ID Microsoft.PowerToys; this command is an example of the syntax, not a recommendation to update PowerToys:

winget show --id Microsoft.PowerToys --exact --source winget

The result can show the package ID, version, publisher, publisher URL, homepage and source. Microsoft notes that show displays metadata submitted with the package, so some fields may be absent. Treat the result as a way to inspect the catalog entry, not as a security certificate. If the publisher or website does not match the software you expected, do not continue until you have confirmed the package through the publisher’s own site. See the WinGet show reference .

For a package listed in your own preview, copy its exact ID and source into the next command. The PowerToys example above should only be used if that is the app you actually intend to update.

Update one app, then check it

To update a single package, use its ID, exact matching and the source shown in your preview:

winget upgrade --id Microsoft.PowerToys --exact --source winget

Replace the example ID and source with the values you just checked. Microsoft’s command documentation supports these filters so WinGet can target a specific package; specifying the source also helps disambiguate results when more than one source is configured. Do not add silent or agreement-acceptance options just to suppress prompts. Read the source or package agreement, installer choices and any Windows elevation prompt before accepting them.

Run the terminal as a normal user to start. Microsoft notes that some installers need elevation; WinGet can request it when the installer runs. An elevated terminal changes the privilege level of the whole command session, so it is not a useful shortcut for routine updates. Microsoft’s WinGet overview describes this administrator distinction.

When the installer finishes, check the package again:

winget list --id Microsoft.PowerToys --exact

Confirm the installed version and open the app you updated. If the update still appears, read the command output or the app publisher’s update notes before trying again. A successful command is not a substitute for checking that an important app still works as you expect.

What --all includes—and what it can leave out

Use winget upgrade --all only after the preview shows updates you are ready to apply together. The command attempts to install every available update WinGet identifies for installed packages. That can mean several different installers, prompts or restarts in one session.

“All” has limits. Some apps do not report a version WinGet can compare, so they are not upgraded by default; --include-unknown opts those packages in. Packages with WinGet pins may also be skipped unless you add --include-pinned. These options broaden the set of packages that can change. Use them only when you understand why an app’s version is unknown or why it was pinned. Microsoft’s upgrade documentation describes both exceptions.

If an app is missing from the preview, that does not prove every version of it is current. WinGet can list applications installed by other methods, but it may not identify an update for every app or version. Check the exact package ID or use the publisher’s own supported update route when WinGet does not show a candidate. Microsoft’s list reference explains that the list can include apps installed outside WinGet.

The practical default is simple: preview, check the ID and source, then update one package you have reviewed. Use --all when you are comfortable installing every eligible update in the list.

Sources available by 12 October 2026

The Microsoft Learn pages below show a last-updated date of 19 July 2026, before this article’s evidence cutoff.

• Use WinGet to install and manage applications
• WinGet `upgrade` command
• WinGet `source` command
• WinGet `show` command
• WinGet `list` command