This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform silent or interactive installs and uninstalls of GitHub Desktop using the Powershell App Deployment Toolkit. The PowerShell App Deployment Toolkit can be used to replace your WiseScript, VBScript and Batch wrapper scripts with one versatile, re-usable and extensible tool. This tool is an absolute must for Microsoft Endpoint Manager Configuration Manager (MEMCM) / (SCCM) Administrators or anyone who is responsible for packaging and deploying software.
How to Install GitHub Desktop Using the PowerShell App Deployment Toolkit
- Download the Powershell App Deployment Toolkit 3.8.4:
- Download the zip file to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
- Open Windows PowerShell by Right-Clicking on Windows PowerShell and selecting Run as Administrator
- Enter the following command to remove the Zone.Identifier:
Unblock-File -Path C:\Downloads\PSAppDeployToolkit_v3.8.4.zip
- Enter the following command to extract the contents of the zip file:
Expand-Archive -Path C:\Downloads\PSAppDeployToolkit_v3.8.4.zip -DestinationPath C:\Downloads\PADT
- Enter the following commands to copy the AppDeployToolkit & Files folders to “C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop”:
Copy-Item -Path "C:\Downloads\PADT\Toolkit\AppDeployToolkit" -Destination "C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop\AppDeployToolkit" -Recurse
Copy-Item -Path "C:\Downloads\PADT\Toolkit\Files" -Destination "C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop\Files"
You should now see the AppDeploymentToolkit folder with files & the empty Files folder at “C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop”
Next we’ll want to download either the EXE or MSI installers for GitHub Desktop.
- Option 1 (MSI Installer)
- Navigate to: https://central.github.com/deployments/desktop/desktop/latest/win32?format=msi
- Download & Copy the GitHubDesktopSetup-x64.msi to “C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop\Files\”
- Or Option 2 (EXE Installer)
- Navigate to: https://central.github.com/deployments/desktop/desktop/latest/win32
- Download the GitHubDesktopSetup-x64.exe to “C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop\Files\”
- Copy the PowerShell script below to “C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop” & name it Deploy-GitHubDesktop.ps1
<# .SYNOPSIS This script performs the installation or uninstallation of GitHub Desktop. # LICENSE # PowerShell App Deployment Toolkit - Provides a set of functions to perform common application deployment tasks on Windows. Copyright (C) 2017 - Sean Lillis, Dan Cunningham, Muhammad Mashwani, Aman Motazedian. This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or any later version. This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details. You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License along with this program. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>. .DESCRIPTION The script is provided as a template to perform an install or uninstall of an application(s). The script either performs an "Install" deployment type or an "Uninstall" deployment type. The install deployment type is broken down into 3 main sections/phases: Pre-Install, Install, and Post-Install. The script dot-sources the AppDeployToolkitMain.ps1 script which contains the logic and functions required to install or uninstall an application. .PARAMETER DeploymentType The type of deployment to perform. Default is: Install. .PARAMETER DeployMode Specifies whether the installation should be run in Interactive, Silent, or NonInteractive mode. Default is: Interactive. Options: Interactive = Shows dialogs, Silent = No dialogs, NonInteractive = Very silent, i.e. no blocking apps. NonInteractive mode is automatically set if it is detected that the process is not user interactive. .PARAMETER AllowRebootPassThru Allows the 3010 return code (requires restart) to be passed back to the parent process (e.g. SCCM) if detected from an installation. If 3010 is passed back to SCCM, a reboot prompt will be triggered. .PARAMETER TerminalServerMode Changes to "user install mode" and back to "user execute mode" for installing/uninstalling applications for Remote Destkop Session Hosts/Citrix servers. .PARAMETER DisableLogging Disables logging to file for the script. Default is: $false. .EXAMPLE PowerShell.exe .\Deploy-GitHubDesktop.ps1 -DeploymentType "Install" -DeployMode "NonInteractive" .EXAMPLE PowerShell.exe .\Deploy-GitHubDesktop.ps1 -DeploymentType "Install" -DeployMode "Silent" .EXAMPLE PowerShell.exe .\Deploy-GitHubDesktop.ps1 -DeploymentType "Install" -DeployMode "Interactive" .EXAMPLE PowerShell.exe .\Deploy-GitHubDesktop.ps1 -DeploymentType "Uninstall" -DeployMode "NonInteractive" .EXAMPLE PowerShell.exe .\Deploy-GitHubDesktop.ps1 -DeploymentType "Uninstall" -DeployMode "Silent" .EXAMPLE PowerShell.exe .\Deploy-GitHubDesktop.ps1 -DeploymentType "Uninstall" -DeployMode "Interactive" .NOTES Toolkit Exit Code Ranges: 60000 - 68999: Reserved for built-in exit codes in Deploy-Application.ps1, Deploy-Application.exe, and AppDeployToolkitMain.ps1 69000 - 69999: Recommended for user customized exit codes in Deploy-Application.ps1 70000 - 79999: Recommended for user customized exit codes in AppDeployToolkitExtensions.ps1 .LINK http://psappdeploytoolkit.com #> [CmdletBinding()] Param ( [Parameter(Mandatory=$false)] [ValidateSet('Install','Uninstall','Repair')] [string]$DeploymentType = 'Install', [Parameter(Mandatory=$false)] [ValidateSet('Interactive','Silent','NonInteractive')] [string]$DeployMode = 'Interactive', [Parameter(Mandatory=$false)] [switch]$AllowRebootPassThru = $false, [Parameter(Mandatory=$false)] [switch]$TerminalServerMode = $false, [Parameter(Mandatory=$false)] [switch]$DisableLogging = $false ) Try { ## Set the script execution policy for this process Try { Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy 'ByPass' -Scope 'Process' -Force -ErrorAction 'Stop' } Catch {} ##*=============================================== ##* VARIABLE DECLARATION ##*=============================================== ## Variables: Application [string]$appVendor = '' [string]$appName = 'GitHub Desktop' [string]$appVersion = '' [string]$appArch = '' [string]$appLang = '' [string]$appRevision = '' [string]$appScriptVersion = '1.0.0' [string]$appScriptDate = 'XX/XX/20XX' [string]$appScriptAuthor = 'Jason Bergner' ##*=============================================== ## Variables: Install Titles (Only set here to override defaults set by the toolkit) [string]$installName = '' [string]$installTitle = 'GitHub Desktop' ##* Do not modify section below #region DoNotModify ## Variables: Exit Code [int32]$mainExitCode = 0 ## Variables: Script [string]$deployAppScriptFriendlyName = 'Deploy Application' [version]$deployAppScriptVersion = [version]'3.8.4' [string]$deployAppScriptDate = '26/01/2021' [hashtable]$deployAppScriptParameters = $psBoundParameters ## Variables: Environment If (Test-Path -LiteralPath 'variable:HostInvocation') { $InvocationInfo = $HostInvocation } Else { $InvocationInfo = $MyInvocation } [string]$scriptDirectory = Split-Path -Path $InvocationInfo.MyCommand.Definition -Parent ## Dot source the required App Deploy Toolkit Functions Try { [string]$moduleAppDeployToolkitMain = "$scriptDirectory\AppDeployToolkit\AppDeployToolkitMain.ps1" If (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $moduleAppDeployToolkitMain -PathType 'Leaf')) { Throw "Module does not exist at the specified location [$moduleAppDeployToolkitMain]." } If ($DisableLogging) { . $moduleAppDeployToolkitMain -DisableLogging } Else { . $moduleAppDeployToolkitMain } } Catch { If ($mainExitCode -eq 0){ [int32]$mainExitCode = 60008 } Write-Error -Message "Module [$moduleAppDeployToolkitMain] failed to load: `n$($_.Exception.Message)`n `n$($_.InvocationInfo.PositionMessage)" -ErrorAction 'Continue' ## Exit the script, returning the exit code to SCCM If (Test-Path -LiteralPath 'variable:HostInvocation') { $script:ExitCode = $mainExitCode; Exit } Else { Exit $mainExitCode } } #endregion ##* Do not modify section above ##*=============================================== ##* END VARIABLE DECLARATION ##*=============================================== If ($deploymentType -ine 'Uninstall' -and $deploymentType -ine 'Repair') { ##*=============================================== ##* PRE-INSTALLATION ##*=============================================== [string]$installPhase = 'Pre-Installation' ## Show Welcome Message, Close GitHub Desktop With a 60 Second Countdown Before Automatically Closing Show-InstallationWelcome -CloseApps 'GitHubDesktop' -CloseAppsCountdown 60 ## Show Progress Message (With a Message to Indicate the Application is Being Uninstalled) Show-InstallationProgress -StatusMessage "Uninstalling Existing Versions of $installTitle. Please Wait..." ## Remove GitHub Desktop (User Profile) $Users = Get-ChildItem C:\Users ForEach ($user in $Users) { $GitHubDesktopLocal = "$($user.fullname)\AppData\Local\GitHubDesktop" If (Test-Path $GitHubDesktopLocal) { $UninstPath = Get-ChildItem -Path "$GitHubDesktopLocal\*" -Include Update.exe -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue If ($UninstPath.Exists) { Write-Log -Message "Found $($UninstPath.FullName), now attempting to uninstall the $installTitle." Execute-ProcessAsUser -Path "$UninstPath" -Parameters "--uninstall -s" -Wait Start-Sleep -Seconds 5 ## Cleanup GitHub Desktop Application (Local User Profile) Directory If (Test-Path $GitHubDesktopLocal) { Write-Log -Message "Cleanup ($GitHubDesktopLocal) Directory." Remove-Item -Path "$GitHubDesktopLocal" -Force -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue } ## Cleanup GitHub Desktop Application (Roaming User Profile) Directory $GitHubDesktopRoaming = "$($user.fullname)\AppData\Roaming\GitHub Desktop" If (Test-Path $GitHubDesktopRoaming) { Write-Log -Message "Cleanup ($GitHubDesktopRoaming) Directory." Remove-Item -Path "$GitHubDesktopRoaming" -Force -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue } ## Remove GitHub Desktop Start Menu Shortcut From All Profiles $StartMenuSC = "$($user.fullname)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\GitHub, Inc\GitHub Desktop.lnk" If (Test-Path $StartMenuSC) { Remove-Item $StartMenuSC -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue } ## Remove GitHub Desktop Shortcuts From All Profiles $DesktopSC = "$($user.fullname)\Desktop\GitHub Desktop.lnk" If (Test-Path $DesktopSC) { Remove-Item $DesktopSC -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue } } } } ## Cleanup User Profile Registry [scriptblock]$HKCURegistrySettings = { Remove-RegistryKey -Key 'HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\GitHubDesktop' -SID $UserProfile.SID } Invoke-HKCURegistrySettingsForAllUsers -RegistrySettings $HKCURegistrySettings -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue ## Uninstall Any Existing Versions of GitHub Desktop (MSI) Remove-MSIApplications -Name 'GitHub Desktop' ##*=============================================== ##* INSTALLATION ##*=============================================== [string]$installPhase = 'Installation' $MsiPath = Get-ChildItem -Path "$dirFiles" -Include GitHubDesktopSetup*.msi -File -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue $ExePath = Get-ChildItem -Path "$dirFiles" -Include GitHubDesktopSetup*.exe -File -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue ## Install GitHub Desktop (MSI) If($MsiPath.Exists) { Write-Log -Message "Found $($MsiPath.FullName), now attempting to install $installTitle (MSI)." Show-InstallationProgress "Installing GitHub Desktop. This may take some time. Please wait..." Execute-MSI -Action Install -Path "$MsiPath" -AddParameters "ALLUSERS=1" Start-Sleep -Seconds 5 ## Install GitHub Desktop for Current User If (Test-Path -Path "$envProgramFilesX86\GitHub Desktop Deployment\GitHubDesktopDeploymentTool.exe") { Write-Log -Message "Found GitHubDesktopDeploymentTool.exe, now attempting to install GitHub Desktop for current user." Execute-ProcessAsUser -Path "$envProgramFilesX86\GitHub Desktop Deployment\GitHubDesktopDeploymentTool.exe" -Parameters "-s" -Wait -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue Get-Process -Name GitHubDesktopDeploymentTool -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Wait-Process } } ## Install GitHub Desktop (EXE) ElseIf($ExePath.Exists) { Write-Log -Message "Found $($ExePath.FullName), now attempting to install $installTitle (EXE)." Show-InstallationProgress "Installing GitHub Desktop. This may take some time. Please wait..." Execute-ProcessAsUser -Path "$ExePath" -Parameters "-s" -Wait Get-Process -Name 'GitHubDesktopSetup*' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Wait-Process } ##*=============================================== ##* POST-INSTALLATION ##*=============================================== [string]$installPhase = 'Post-Installation' } ElseIf ($deploymentType -ieq 'Uninstall') { ##*=============================================== ##* PRE-UNINSTALLATION ##*=============================================== [string]$installPhase = 'Pre-Uninstallation' ## Show Welcome Message, Close GitHub Desktop With a 60 Second Countdown Before Automatically Closing Show-InstallationWelcome -CloseApps 'GitHubDesktop' -CloseAppsCountdown 60 ## Show Progress Message (With a Message to Indicate the Application is Being Uninstalled) Show-InstallationProgress -StatusMessage "Uninstalling Existing Versions of $installTitle. Please Wait..." ##*=============================================== ##* UNINSTALLATION ##*=============================================== [string]$installPhase = 'Uninstallation' ## Remove GitHub Desktop (User Profile) $Users = Get-ChildItem C:\Users ForEach ($user in $Users) { $GitHubDesktopLocal = "$($user.fullname)\AppData\Local\GitHubDesktop" If (Test-Path $GitHubDesktopLocal) { $UninstPath = Get-ChildItem -Path "$GitHubDesktopLocal\*" -Include Update.exe -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue If ($UninstPath.Exists) { Write-Log -Message "Found $($UninstPath.FullName), now attempting to uninstall the $installTitle." Execute-ProcessAsUser -Path "$UninstPath" -Parameters "--uninstall -s" -Wait Start-Sleep -Seconds 5 ## Cleanup GitHub Desktop Application (Local User Profile) Directory If (Test-Path $GitHubDesktopLocal) { Write-Log -Message "Cleanup ($GitHubDesktopLocal) Directory." Remove-Item -Path "$GitHubDesktopLocal" -Force -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue } ## Cleanup GitHub Desktop Application (Roaming User Profile) Directory $GitHubDesktopRoaming = "$($user.fullname)\AppData\Roaming\GitHub Desktop" If (Test-Path $GitHubDesktopRoaming) { Write-Log -Message "Cleanup ($GitHubDesktopRoaming) Directory." Remove-Item -Path "$GitHubDesktopRoaming" -Force -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue } ## Remove GitHub Desktop Start Menu Shortcut From All Profiles $StartMenuSC = "$($user.fullname)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\GitHub, Inc\GitHub Desktop.lnk" If (Test-Path $StartMenuSC) { Remove-Item $StartMenuSC -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue } ## Remove GitHub Desktop Shortcuts From All Profiles $DesktopSC = "$($user.fullname)\Desktop\GitHub Desktop.lnk" If (Test-Path $DesktopSC) { Remove-Item $DesktopSC -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue } } } } ## Cleanup User Profile Registry [scriptblock]$HKCURegistrySettings = { Remove-RegistryKey -Key 'HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\GitHubDesktop' -SID $UserProfile.SID } Invoke-HKCURegistrySettingsForAllUsers -RegistrySettings $HKCURegistrySettings -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue ## Uninstall Any Existing Versions of GitHub Desktop (MSI) Remove-MSIApplications -Name 'GitHub Desktop' ##*=============================================== ##* POST-UNINSTALLATION ##*=============================================== [string]$installPhase = 'Post-Uninstallation' } ElseIf ($deploymentType -ieq 'Repair') { ##*=============================================== ##* PRE-REPAIR ##*=============================================== [string]$installPhase = 'Pre-Repair' ##*=============================================== ##* REPAIR ##*=============================================== [string]$installPhase = 'Repair' ##*=============================================== ##* POST-REPAIR ##*=============================================== [string]$installPhase = 'Post-Repair' } ##*=============================================== ##* END SCRIPT BODY ##*=============================================== ## Call the Exit-Script function to perform final cleanup operations Exit-Script -ExitCode $mainExitCode } Catch { [int32]$mainExitCode = 60001 [string]$mainErrorMessage = "$(Resolve-Error)" Write-Log -Message $mainErrorMessage -Severity 3 -Source $deployAppScriptFriendlyName Show-DialogBox -Text $mainErrorMessage -Icon 'Stop' Exit-Script -ExitCode $mainExitCode }
Ok, all the hard work is done and now you can install or uninstall GitHub Desktop using one single PowerShell script. Simply change the DeploymentType parameter to install or uninstall. Logging functionality is built-in automatically and you can view the log files under “C:\Windows\Logs\Software”
GitHub Desktop NonInteractive Install (PowerShell)
NonInteractive means Very Silent, i.e. no blocking apps. This is automatically set if it is detected that the process is not running in the user session and it is not possible for anyone to provide input using a mouse or keyboard.
- Open Windows PowerShell by Right-Clicking on Windows PowerShell and selecting Run as Administrator
- Change the directory to “C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop”
- PS C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop>
- Enter the following command:
Powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass .\Deploy-GitHubDesktop.ps1 -DeploymentType "Install" -DeployMode "NonInteractive"
GitHub Desktop Silent Install (PowerShell)
Silent means no dialogs (progress and balloon tip notifications are suppressed).
- Open Windows PowerShell by Right-Clicking on Windows PowerShell and selecting Run as Administrator
- Change the directory to “C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop”
- PS C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop>
- Enter the following command:
Powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass .\Deploy-GitHubDesktop.ps1 -DeploymentType "Install" -DeployMode "Silent"
GitHub Desktop Interactive Install (PowerShell)
Interactive means the install will show dialogs including progress and balloon tip notifications.
- Open Windows PowerShell by Right-Clicking on Windows PowerShell and selecting Run as Administrator
- Change the directory to “C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop”
- PS C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop>
- Enter the following command:
Powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass .\Deploy-GitHubDesktop.ps1 -DeploymentType "Install" -DeployMode "Interactive"
How to Uninstall GitHub Desktop Using the PowerShell App Deployment Toolkit
GitHub Desktop NonInteractive Uninstall (PowerShell)
NonInteractive means Very Silent, i.e. no blocking apps. This is automatically set if it is detected that the process is not running in the user session and it is not possible for anyone to provide input using a mouse or keyboard.
- Open Windows PowerShell by Right-Clicking on Windows PowerShell and selecting Run as Administrator
- Change the directory to “C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop”
- PS C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop>
- Enter the following command:
Powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass .\Deploy-GitHubDesktop.ps1 -DeploymentType "Uninstall" -DeployMode "NonInteractive"
GitHub Desktop Silent Uninstall (PowerShell)
Silent means no dialogs (progress and balloon tip notifications are suppressed).
- Open Windows PowerShell by Right-Clicking on Windows PowerShell and selecting Run as Administrator
- Change the directory to “C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop”
- PS C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop>
- Enter the following command:
Powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass .\Deploy-GitHubDesktop.ps1 -DeploymentType "Uninstall" -DeployMode "Silent"
GitHub Desktop Interactive Uninstall (PowerShell)
Interactive means the install will show dialogs including progress and balloon tip notifications.
- Open Windows PowerShell by Right-Clicking on Windows PowerShell and selecting Run as Administrator
- Change the directory to “C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop”
- PS C:\Downloads\GitHubDesktop>
- Enter the following command:
Powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass .\Deploy-GitHubDesktop.ps1 -DeploymentType "Uninstall" -DeployMode "Interactive"
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.