PowerToys/installer

PowerToys installer instructions

MSI installer instructions

1. Install the WiX Toolset Visual Studio 2019 Extension.
2. Install the WiX Toolset build tools in the development machine.
3. Open powertoys.sln, select the "Release" and "x64" configurations and build the PowerToysSetup project.
4. The resulting installer will be built to PowerToysSetup\bin\Release\PowerToysSetup.msi.

MSIX installer instructions

One-time tasks

Create and install the self-sign certificate

For the first-time installation, you'll need to generate a self-signed certificate. The script below will generate and add a cert to your TRCA store.

1. Open Developer PowerShell for VS as an Admin
2. Navigate to your repo's installer\MSIX
3. Run .\generate_self_sign_cert.ps1

Note: if you delete the folder, you will have to regenerate the key

Elevate Developer PowerShell for VS permissions due to unsigned file

msix_reinstall.ps1 is unsigned, you'll need to elevate your prompt.

1. Open Developer PowerShell for VS as admin
2. Run Set-ExecutionPolicy -executionPolicy Unrestricted

Allow Sideloaded apps

In order to install the MSIX package without using the Microsoft Store, sideloading apps needs to be enabled. This can be done by enabling Developer Options > Sideload apps or Developer Options > Developer mode.

Building the MSIX package

1. Make sure you've built the Release configuration of powertoys.sln
2. Open Developer PowerShell for VS
3. Navigate to your repo's installer\MSIX
4. Run .\msix_reinstall.ps1 from the devenv powershell

What msix_reinstall.ps1 does

msix_reinstall.ps1 removes the current PowerToys installation, restarts explorer.exe (to update PowerRename shell extension), builds PowerToys-x64.msix package, signs it with a PowerToys_TemporaryKey.pfx, and finally installs it.

Cleanup - Removing all .msi/.msix PowerToys installations

$name='PowerToys'
Get-AppxPackage -Name $name | select -ExpandProperty "PackageFullName" | Remove-AppxPackage
gwmi win32_product -filter "Name = '$name'" -namespace root/cimv2 | foreach {
  if ($_.uninstall().returnvalue -eq 0) { write-host "Successfully uninstalled $name " }
  else { write-warning "Failed to uninstall $name." }
}