microsoft/winget-cli

Portable apps should default to UpgradeBehavior: uninstallPrevious

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JuanjoFuchs commented

Problem

Portable apps upgraded via winget upgrade leave duplicate entries in the WinGet tracking database when the manifest doesn't explicitly specify UpgradeBehavior: uninstallPrevious. This creates confusion for users and wastes disk space tracking ghost versions.

Example

PS> winget upgrade JuanjoFuchs.hwinfo-tui
# Upgrade completes successfully

PS> winget list --id JuanjoFuchs.hwinfo-tui
Name       Id                     Version Source
-------------------------------------------------
hwinfo-tui JuanjoFuchs.hwinfo-tui 1.0.3   winget
hwinfo-tui JuanjoFuchs.hwinfo-tui 1.0.2   winget  # OLD VERSION STILL TRACKED

The physical file was correctly replaced with v1.0.3, but the database entry for v1.0.2 remains.

Why This Matters for Portable Apps

The Portable Apps Specification explicitly states:

"There will be no support for installing multiple 'side by side' versions of portable packages."

Since portable apps cannot install side-by-side by design, there is no valid use case for leaving the old version in the tracking database during an upgrade.

Current Workarounds

For Users:

# Option 1: Manual cleanup
winget uninstall --id Package.Id --version 1.0.2

# Option 2: Use --uninstall-previous flag (WinGet 1.5+)
winget upgrade Package.Id --uninstall-previous

# Option 3: Clean reinstall
winget uninstall Package.Id && winget install Package.Id

For Package Maintainers:
Manually add UpgradeBehavior: uninstallPrevious to every manifest version:

InstallerType: portable
UpgradeBehavior: uninstallPrevious

Proposed Solution

Make UpgradeBehavior: uninstallPrevious the default for InstallerType: portable

When a manifest specifies InstallerType: portable without an explicit UpgradeBehavior field, WinGet should:

  1. Default to UpgradeBehavior: uninstallPrevious
  2. Remove the old version's tracking entry before/after installing the new version
  3. Only allow explicit override if package maintainer specifies a different UpgradeBehavior

Benefits

  1. Aligns with spec: Matches the documented behavior that portable apps don't support side-by-side installations
  2. Better UX: Users see clean winget list output without duplicate entries
  3. Reduces support burden: Fewer "why do I have two versions installed?" questions
  4. Backwards compatible: Existing manifests with explicit UpgradeBehavior are unaffected

Implementation Notes

This could be implemented in the upgrade flow by checking:

if (installerType == InstallerType::Portable && upgradeBehavior == UpgradeBehavior::Unspecified) {
    upgradeBehavior = UpgradeBehavior::UninstallPrevious;
}

Related Issues

  • #1865 - Upgrading an application does not remove the existing version
  • #2727 - Switch for --uninstallPrevious for upgrade
  • #5615 - Winget doesn't remove older version when upgrading certain packages
  • #5800 - winget upgrade installs a second copy instead of upgrading it
  • Discussion #5620 - Duplicate versions after upgrade

Test Case

Package: JuanjoFuchs.hwinfo-tui (portable app)

  • Install v1.0.2
  • Upgrade to v1.0.3 (manifest has no UpgradeBehavior)
  • Run winget list --id JuanjoFuchs.hwinfo-tui
  • Expected: Only v1.0.3 appears
  • Current: Both v1.0.2 and v1.0.3 appear

Additional Context

  • This issue affects all portable apps that don't explicitly set UpgradeBehavior
  • The WinGet Community Repository has hundreds of portable apps
  • Package maintainers are not consistently aware of this requirement
  • The --uninstall-previous flag exists but requires user intervention

Environment:

  • WinGet Version: 1.9.1571 (and later)
  • Windows Version: Windows 11 24H2
  • Installer Type: portable