Charles is an HTTP proxy / HTTP monitor / Reverse Proxy that enables a developer to view all of the HTTP and SSL / HTTPS traffic between their machine and the Internet. This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform a silent installation of Charles from the command line using the MSI installer.
How to Install Charles Silently
Charles Silent Install (MSI)
- Navigate to: https://www.charlesproxy.com/download/
- Download the charles-proxy-x.y.z-win64.msi to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Navigate to the “C:\Downloads” folder
- Enter the following command: MsiExec.exe /i charles-proxy-x.y.z-win64.msi ALLUSERS=1 /qn
- Press Enter
After a few moments you will find Charles entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.
| Software Title: | Charles |
| Vendor: | XK72 Ltd |
| Architecture: | x64 |
| Installer Type: | MSI |
| Silent Install Switch: | MsiExec.exe /i charles-proxy-x.y.z-win64.msi ALLUSERS=1 /qn |
| Silent Uninstall Switch: | MsiExec.exe /x charles-proxy-x.y.z-win64.msi /qn |
| Repair Command: | MsiExec.exe /fa charles-proxy-x.y.z-win64.msi /qn |
| Download Link: | Charles Download |
| PowerShell Script: | Charles | PowerShell Script |
| Detection Script: | Charles | Custom Detection Script |
The information above provides a quick overview of the software title, vendor, silent install, and silent uninstall switches. The download links provided take you directly to the vendors website. Continue reading if you are interested in additional details and configurations.
Additional Configurations
Create a Charles Installation Log File
The Charles MSI installer offers the option to generate a log file during installation to assist with troubleshooting should any problems arise. You can use the following command to create a verbose log file with details about the installation.
Charles Silent Install (MSI) with Logging
MsiExec.exe /i charles-proxy-x.y.z-win64.msi ALLUSERS=1 /qn /L*v "%WINDIR%\Temp\Charles-Install.log" |
Change the Charles Default Installation Directory
You can also change the default installation directory by using the following command line parameters. In this example, I’m installing Charles to “C:\Charles”
MsiExec.exe /i charles-proxy-x.y.z-win64.msi ALLUSERS=1 INSTALLDIR="C:\Charles" /qn |
How to Uninstall Charles Silently
Check out the following posts for a scripted solution:
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Enter one of the following commands:
| Version | Charles Silent Uninstall String |
4.6.5.0 | MsiExec.exe /x {78857AB6-C714-4E7B-B9F4-F03ECF546088} /qn |
4.6.2.8 | MsiExec.exe /x {4B24BE03-EF2D-49AB-90E7-3EE751AB047A} /qn |
Always make sure to test everything in a development environment prior to implementing anything into production. The information in this article is provided “As Is” without warranty of any kind.