Find & Install Software with Chocolatey: Beginner Guide

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If you’ve followed our previous guide (link to installation guide here), you’ve successfully installed Chocolatey on your Windows machine. Congratulations! You’ve taken the first step towards effortless software management. Now, let’s get to the fun part: learning how to find and install software with Chocolatey.

Chocolatey acts as a powerful package manager for Windows, similar to those found on Linux systems. Instead of manually downloading installers from various websites, you can use simple commands to get the applications you need directly from your command line. This guide will walk you through the two essential commands you’ll use most often: choco search to find packages and choco install to add them to your system.

Step 1: Finding Software – Using choco search

Before you can install software using Chocolatey, you need to know if it’s available in the Chocolatey community repository and, more importantly, what its exact “Package ID” is. This ID is the unique name Chocolatey uses to identify and manage a specific software package. The choco search command is your tool for this task.

The basic syntax is straightforward:

choco search [software name]

Simply replace [software name] with the name of the application you’re looking for. Chocolatey will then query its extensive online repository and list matching packages.

Let’s look at some examples for popular software:

To find the VLC media player:

choco search vlc

To find Notepad++:

choco search notepadplusplus

To find Google Chrome:

choco search googlechrome

When you run these commands, you’ll see output listing packages that match your search term. The output typically shows the Package ID and the latest available version. For example, searching for ‘vlc’ might show something like:

vlc|3.0.18.0
vlc-nightly|4.0.0.20230831
chocolatey-vlc-set-default|0.0.1

From this list, you can see that the main VLC package has the ID vlc and the version is 3.0.18.0 (at the time of writing). Note the exact Package ID – you’ll need it for the installation step. Sometimes, there might be multiple packages related to your search; choose the one that seems most official or relevant (usually the one with the most downloads or the simplest name).

You can also browse the official Chocolatey Community Repository website directly in your web browser. This can sometimes provide more details about a package, including its description, dependencies, and installation scripts, helping you verify it’s the correct software version you want.

Step 2: Installing Software – Using choco install

Once you have the Package ID for the software you want, you’re ready to install software using choco. The choco install command tells Chocolatey to download the package from the repository and run the necessary installation steps, often performing a silent installation without requiring you to click through installer wizards.

The basic syntax is:

choco install [packageID]

Crucially, you will almost always need to run the choco install command from an Administrator PowerShell or Command Prompt window. Just like when you installed Chocolatey itself (link back to installation guide briefly), software installation on Windows typically requires elevated privileges to write to system directories or modify system settings. If you try to run choco install from a regular, non-administrator window, it will likely fail with permission errors.

To open an Administrator window, search for “PowerShell” or “Command Prompt” in the Start Menu, right-click on the application, and select “Run as administrator”.

Now, using the Package IDs we found in Step 1, let’s look at installation examples:

To install VLC media player:

choco install vlc

To install Notepad++:

choco install notepadplusplus

To install Google Chrome:

choco install googlechrome

When you run the command, Chocolatey will show you the progress. It will download the package files, verify them, and then run the underlying software installer provided within the package. You’ll see output indicating that it’s downloading and installing. Chocolatey handles details like adding the software to your System Path if necessary and managing any dependencies the software might have.

A great feature of using choco on Windows is the ability to install multiple software packages at once. Simply list the Package IDs separated by spaces:

choco install vlc notepadplusplus googlechrome

This single command will install all three applications sequentially, saving you significant time compared to downloading and running each installer manually.

Upon successful completion, Chocolatey will report that the installation finished successfully. If there were any issues, it would indicate a failure and provide error messages.

Step 3: Verifying Installation (Optional but Recommended)

After running choco install, you can quickly verify that the software was installed. The easiest way is often to simply search for the application in your Windows Start Menu. If it appears and launches, you’re good to go!

You can also use a Chocolatey command to list all packages installed via Choco on your system:

choco list --localonly

This command shows you the Package ID and version of every application Chocolatey is currently managing on your machine. Look for the package you just installed in this list.

Troubleshooting Common Installation Issues

Sometimes, things don’t go perfectly. Here are a few common issues you might encounter when using the choco install command:

  • Not Running as Administrator: This is the most frequent problem. Ensure your PowerShell or Command Prompt window clearly says “Administrator” in the title bar.
  • Typo in Package ID: Package IDs must be exact. Double-check the spelling against the output of choco search or the online repository.
  • Package Not Found: If choco search doesn’t find the package, it means it’s not available in the Chocolatey community repository. You’ll need to find another way to install that specific software.
  • Network Issues: Chocolatey needs to download files. Ensure you have a stable internet connection.
  • Installation Script Failing: Rarely, the automated installation script for a package might encounter an issue specific to your system. The error message in the console output can sometimes give clues.

What’s Next? Keeping Software Updated

One of the biggest advantages of using Chocolatey to get software is how easy it makes keeping everything updated. Instead of manually checking each application for updates, you can use a single command.

The command is choco upgrade.

To upgrade a specific application, like VLC:

choco upgrade vlc

To upgrade *all* installed applications managed by Chocolatey:

choco upgrade all

This command is incredibly powerful and saves immense time. We’ll cover using choco upgrade and other software management commands in more detail in a future guide (link to future guide here).

Conclusion

You’ve now learned the fundamental commands for finding and installing software using the Chocolatey package repository. With choco search, you can quickly discover if your desired application is available, and with choco install (run as Administrator), you can add it to your system with a single command.

Mastering these Chocolatey basic commands streamlines your software installation process dramatically, saving you time and effort. It’s an essential skill for efficient software management on Windows.

Ready to try? Open your Administrator PowerShell and use choco search to find your favorite app, then choco install to add it!