Chocolatey

Installs packages using Chocolatey. Chocolatey is one of the most popular Windows package managers with a massive library of over 9,000 packages. It is designed for system-wide software installation and works well for both GUI and CLI applications.

YAML Key: choco

Properties:

id: The package identifier (e.g., git).

Basic Usage

You can search for Chocolatey packages at community.chocolatey.org or by running:

choco search <app-name>

To install a single package using WinHome:

choco:
  - id: git

To install multiple packages at once:

choco:
  - id: git
  - id: neovim
  - id: vlc

Advanced Configuration

Running with Elevated Privileges

Chocolatey typically requires admin rights to install software system-wide. Make sure WinHome is run from an Administrator PowerShell or terminal session.

Real-World config.yaml Examples

Example 1 — Developer Environment Setup

choco:
  - id: git
  - id: nodejs
  - id: python
  - id: vscode

Example 2 — Media & Productivity Setup

choco:
  - id: vlc
  - id: 7zip
  - id: notion
  - id: zoom

Example 3 — System Administration Setup

choco:
  - id: sysinternals
  - id: putty
  - id: winscp
  - id: curl

Troubleshooting

Issue: choco is not recognized as a command

Chocolatey is not pre-installed on Windows. Install it by running this in an Administrator PowerShell:

  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'))

Issue: Package not found

Double check the package ID at community.chocolatey.org.
Package names in Chocolatey are case-insensitive but must be exact (e.g., googlechrome not google-chrome).

Issue: Access denied / requires admin

Chocolatey needs Administrator privileges. Right-click your terminal and select Run as Administrator, then re-run WinHome.

Issue: Package installs but is outdated

Chocolatey may have cached an older version. Run: