Packages

Packages in WinGet represent installable software applications. Each package contains metadata describing the application, its installers, localization information, and system requirements.

Package Structure

A WinGet package consists of three core components:

Package Identifier

A unique identifier in Publisher.Application format (e.g., Microsoft.WindowsTerminal)

Version Information

Semantic version number and optional channel information

Manifest Data

YAML files containing installer, localization, and metadata

Package Manifest Object

At runtime, packages are represented by the Manifest structure:

// From Manifest.h:15-74
struct Manifest
{
    string_t Id;                          // Package identifier
    string_t Version;                     // Package version
    string_t Channel;                     // Distribution channel
    string_t Moniker;                     // Short alias (e.g., "vscode")
    ManifestVer ManifestVersion;          // Schema version
    
    ManifestInstaller DefaultInstallerInfo;
    std::vector<ManifestInstaller> Installers;
    
    ManifestLocalization DefaultLocalization;
    std::vector<ManifestLocalization> Localizations;
    ManifestLocalization CurrentLocalization;
    
    // SHA256 hash of the manifest stream itself
    Utility::SHA256::HashBuffer StreamSha256;
};

Package Identifier

The PackageIdentifier must follow a strict format:

// From manifest.singleton.latest.json:6-10
"PackageIdentifier": {
  "type": "string",
  "pattern": "^[^\\.\\s\\\\/:\\*\\?\"<>\\|\\x01-\\x1f]{1,32}(\\.[^\\.\\s\\\\/:\\*\\?\"<>\\|\\x01-\\x1f]{1,32}){1,7}$",
  "maxLength": 128,
  "description": "The package unique identifier"
}

Format: Publisher.Application (e.g., Microsoft.PowerToys)

Maximum 128 characters
2-8 segments separated by periods
Each segment: 1-32 characters
No spaces or special characters: \ / : * ? " < > |

Examples:

# Valid identifiers
Microsoft.WindowsTerminal
Google.Chrome
Mozilla.Firefox.DeveloperEdition
Contoso.Internal.ProductivityTools

# Invalid identifiers
Microsoft Windows Terminal  # Contains spaces
Chrome                      # Missing publisher
..InvalidPackage            # Invalid segment format

Package Version

Version strings follow semantic versioning principles:

// From manifest.singleton.latest.json:12-16
"PackageVersion": {
  "type": "string",
  "pattern": "^[^\\\\/:\\*\\?\"<>\\|\\x01-\\x1f]+$",
  "maxLength": 128,
  "description": "The package version"
}

Version format examples:

0.0
1.5.300
0.0-beta.1
03.15

Moniker

A short, memorable alias for quick installation:

// From Manifest.h:25
string_t Moniker;

# Install using moniker instead of full identifier
winget install vscode
# Equivalent to:
winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode

If only one package has a specific moniker, users can install using just the moniker for convenience.

Package Metadata

Packages contain rich metadata through localization objects:

Default Localization

Required metadata in the package’s primary language:

# From manifest.md:125-152 (Windows Terminal example)
PackageIdentifier: Microsoft.WindowsTerminal
PackageVersion: 1.6.10571.0
PackageLocale: en-US
Publisher: Microsoft
PublisherURL: https://www.microsoft.com/
PrivacyURL: https://privacy.microsoft.com/
PackageName: Windows Terminal
PackageURL: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/terminal/
License: MIT
LicenseURL: https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/blob/master/LICENSE
ShortDescription: The new Windows Terminal, a tabbed command line experience for Windows.
Tags:
- console
- command-line
- shell
- cmd
- powershell
- wsl

Additional Localizations

Packages can include multiple language translations:

# From manifest.md:154-164 (French localization)
PackageIdentifier: Microsoft.WindowsTerminal
PackageVersion: 1.6.10571.0
PackageLocale: fr-FR
Publisher: Microsoft
ShortDescription: Le nouveau terminal Windows, une expérience de ligne de commande à onglets pour Windows.
ManifestType: locale
ManifestVersion: 1.4.0

Locale Format

// From manifest.installer.latest.json:18-22
"Locale": {
  "type": [ "string", "null" ],
  "pattern": "^([a-zA-Z]{2,3}|[iI]-[a-zA-Z]+|[xX]-[a-zA-Z]{1,8})(-[a-zA-Z]{1,8})*$",
  "maxLength": 20,
  "description": "The installer meta-data locale"
}

Locales follow BCP 47 format (e.g., en-US, fr-FR, zh-CN).

Installer Information

Packages specify one or more installers with platform-specific details:

Supported Installer Types

// From manifest.installer.latest.json:55-70
"InstallerType": {
  "type": [ "string", "null" ],
  "enum": [
    "msix",
    "msi",
    "appx",
    "exe",
    "zip",
    "inno",
    "nullsoft",
    "wix",
    "burn",
    "pwa",
    "portable",
    "font"
  ]
}

Architecture Support

// From manifest.installer.latest.json:114-123
"Architecture": {
  "type": "string",
  "enum": [
    "x86",
    "x64",
    "arm",
    "arm64",
    "neutral"
  ]
}

Installer Example

# From manifest.md:166-193
PackageIdentifier: Microsoft.WindowsTerminal
PackageVersion: 1.6.10571.0
Platform:
 - Windows.Desktop
MinimumOSVersion: 10.0.18362.0
InstallerType: msix
InstallModes:
 - silent
PackageFamilyName: Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Installers:
 - Architecture: x64
   InstallerUrl: https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/download/v1.6.10571.0/Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_1.6.10571.0_8wekyb3d8bbwe.msixbundle
   InstallerSha256: 092aa89b1881e058d31b1a8d88f31bb298b5810afbba25c5cb341cfa4904d843
   SignatureSha256: e53f48473621390c8243ada6345826af7c713cf1f4bbbf0d030599d1e4c175ee
 - Architecture: arm64
   InstallerUrl: https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/download/v1.6.10571.0/Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_1.6.10571.0_8wekyb3d8bbwe.msixbundle
   InstallerSha256: 092aa89b1881e058d31b1a8d88f31bb298b5810afbba25c5cb341cfa4904d843
   SignatureSha256: e53f48473621390c8243ada6345826af7c713cf1f4bbbf0d030599d1e4c175ee

Package Discovery

The manifest provides methods to aggregate information across installers and localizations:

// From Manifest.h:43-65
// Get all tags across localizations
std::vector<string_t> GetAggregatedTags() const;

// Get all commands across installers
std::vector<string_t> GetAggregatedCommands() const;

// Get package family names across installers, Case folded.
std::vector<string_t> GetPackageFamilyNames() const;

// Get product codes across installers, Case folded.
std::vector<string_t> GetProductCodes() const;

// Get upgrade codes across installers, Case folded.
std::vector<string_t> GetUpgradeCodes() const;

// Get package names across localizations and installers, Case folded.
std::vector<string_t> GetPackageNames() const;

// Get publishers across localizations and instalizers, Case folded.
std::vector<string_t> GetPublishers() const;

Install Scope

Packages can be installed at user or machine scope:

// From manifest.installer.latest.json:125-131
"Scope": {
  "type": [ "string", "null" ],
  "enum": [
    "user",
    "machine"
  ],
  "description": "Scope indicates if the installer is per user or per machine"
}

winget install Microsoft.PowerToys --scope user

Platform Targeting

// From manifest.installer.latest.json:30-42
"Platform": {
  "type": [ "array", "null" ],
  "items": {
    "type": "string",
    "enum": [
      "Windows.Desktop",
      "Windows.Universal"
    ]
  },
  "maxItems": 2,
  "uniqueItems": true
}

Install Modes

Packages declare supported installation modes:

// From manifest.installer.latest.json:133-146
"InstallModes": {
  "type": [ "array", "null" ],
  "items": {
    "type": "string",
    "enum": [
      "interactive",
      "silent",
      "silentWithProgress"
    ]
  },
  "maxItems": 3,
  "uniqueItems": true
}

ARP Correlation

Packages are correlated with installed applications via Add/Remove Programs (ARP):

# From TestArpVersionMapping_SameAsPackageVersion.yaml:15-16
AppsAndFeaturesEntries:
- DisplayVersion: "1.0"

// From Manifest.h:49-50
// Gets ARP version range if declared, otherwise an empty range is returned
Utility::VersionRange GetArpVersionRange() const;

This enables WinGet to:

Detect already-installed packages
Support upgrade scenarios
Track installation state

Repository Organization

Packages in the winget-pkgs repository follow a specific folder structure:

manifests/<first-letter>/<publisher>/<application>/<version>/

Example:

manifests/m/Microsoft/WindowsTerminal/1.6.10571.0/
  ├── Microsoft.WindowsTerminal.yaml           (version file)
  ├── Microsoft.WindowsTerminal.installer.yaml (installer info)
  ├── Microsoft.WindowsTerminal.locale.en-US.yaml (default locale)
  └── Microsoft.WindowsTerminal.locale.fr-FR.yaml (additional locale)

The partitioning scheme (first letter folder) helps with GitHub’s UX, as folders with thousands of children don’t render well in the browser.

Best Practices

Unique Package Identifiers

Use Publisher.Application format consistently
Don’t create multiple publisher folders (e.g., avoid both “Contoso” and “Contoso Ltd.”)
Ensure identifiers match Add/Remove Programs entries for correlation

Version Management

Only one pull request per package version allowed
Version must match folder structure
Use DisplayVersion in AppsAndFeaturesEntries for upgrade support

Metadata Quality

Provide as many optional fields as possible
Include monikers for popular packages
Add comprehensive tags for discoverability
Include product codes for MSI installers
Translate descriptions for global audiences

Installer Requirements

All installers must support silent installation
Include SHA256 hash for verification
Specify correct InstallerType for optimal UX
For Nullsoft/Inno installers, WinGet auto-configures silent switches

Next Steps

Manifests

Deep dive into manifest file structure and schemas

Sources

Learn how sources provide package repositories

Get Started

Core Concepts

Guides

Configuration

Advanced

Package Structure

Package Manifest Object

Package Identifier

Package Version

Moniker

Package Metadata

Default Localization

Additional Localizations

Locale Format

Installer Information

Supported Installer Types

Architecture Support

Installer Example

Package Discovery

Install Scope

Platform Targeting

Install Modes

ARP Correlation

Repository Organization

Best Practices

Next Steps

Manifests

Sources

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Concepts

Guides

Configuration

Advanced

​Package Structure

​Package Manifest Object

​Package Identifier

​Package Version

​Moniker

​Package Metadata

​Default Localization

​Additional Localizations

​Locale Format

​Installer Information

​Supported Installer Types

​Architecture Support

​Installer Example

​Package Discovery

​Install Scope

​Platform Targeting

​Install Modes

​ARP Correlation

​Repository Organization

​Best Practices

​Next Steps

Manifests

Sources

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Package Structure

Package Manifest Object

Package Identifier

Package Version

Moniker

Package Metadata

Default Localization

Additional Localizations

Locale Format

Installer Information

Supported Installer Types

Architecture Support

Installer Example

Package Discovery

Install Scope

Platform Targeting

Install Modes

ARP Correlation

Repository Organization

Best Practices

Next Steps