WinSCP (Windows Secure Copy) is a free and open-source SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, Amazon S3 and SCP client. This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform a silent installation of WinSCP from the command line using both the EXE & MSI installers.
How to Install WinSCP Silently
WinSCP Silent Install (EXE)
- Navigate to: https://winscp.net/eng/download.php
- Download the WinSCP-x.y.z-Setup.exe 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: WinSCP-x.y.z-Setup.exe /VERYSILENT /NORESTART /ALLUSERS
- Press Enter
After a few moments you should see the WinSCP Desktop Shortcut appear. You will also find entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.
| Software Title: | WinSCP |
| Vendor: | Martin Prikryl |
| Architecture: | x86 |
| Installer Type: EXE | Inno Setup |
| Silent Install Switch: | WinSCP-x.y.z-Setup.exe /VERYSILENT /NORESTART /ALLUSERS |
| Silent Uninstall Switch (32-bit System) | "%ProgramFiles%\WinSCP\unins000.exe" /VERYSILENT /NORESTART |
| Silent Uninstall Switch (64-bit System) | "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\WinSCP\unins000.exe" /VERYSILENT /NORESTART |
| Download Link: | WinSCP EXE Download |
| PowerShell Script: | WinSCP | PowerShell Script |
| Detection Script: | WinSCP | Custom Detection Script |
WinSCP Silent Install (MSI)
- Navigate to: https://sourceforge.net/projects/winscp/files/WinSCP/
- Select the version of your choice
- Download the WinSCP-x.y.z.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 WinSCP-x.y.z.msi /qn
- Press Enter
After a few moments you should see the WinSCP Desktop Shortcut appear. You will also find entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.
| Software Title: | WinSCP |
| Vendor: | Martin Prikryl |
| Architecture: | x86 |
| Installer Type: | MSI |
| Silent Install Switch: | MsiExec.exe /i WinSCP-x.y.z.msi /qn |
| Silent Uninstall Switch: | MsiExec.exe /x WinSCP-x.y.z.msi /qn |
| Repair Command: | MsiExec.exe /fa WinSCP-x.y.z.msi /qn |
| Download Link: | WinSCP MSI Download |
| PowerShell Script: | WinSCP | PowerShell Script |
| Detection Script: | WinSCP | Custom Detection Script |
The information above provides a quick overview of the software title, vendor, silent install, and silent uninstall switches. The download link provided take you directly to the vendors website. Continue reading if you are interested in additional details and configurations.
Additional Configurations
Create a WinSCP Installation Log File
The WinSCP installers offer the option to generate a log file during installation to assist with troubleshooting should any problems arise. You can use the following commands to create a verbose log file with details about the installation.
WinSCP Silent Install (EXE) with Logging
WinSCP-x.y.z-Setup.exe /VERYSILENT /NORESTART /ALLUSERS /LOG="%WINDIR%\Temp\WinSCP-Install.log" |
WinSCP Silent Install (MSI) with Logging
MsiExec.exe /i WinSCP-x.y.z.msi /qn /L*v "%WINDIR%\Temp\WinSCP-Install.log" |
Exclude the WinSCP Desktop Shortcut During Install
The WinSCP installer includes a desktop shortcut by default. If you don’t want the desktop shortcut included during installation, then you can run the following command line switch.
WinSCP Silent Install (EXE) with No Desktop Shortcut
WinSCP-x.y.z-Setup.exe /VERYSILENT /NORESTART /ALLUSERS /MERGETASKS=!desktopicon |
WinSCP Silent Install (MSI) with No Desktop Shortcut
MsiExec.exe /i WinSCP-x.y.z.msi DESKTOPSHORTCUT=0 /qn |
Change the WinSCP Default Installation Directory
You can also change the default installation directory by using the following command line parameters. In this example, I’m installing WinSCP to “C:\WinSCP”
WinSCP-x.y.z-Setup.exe /DIR="C:\WinSCP" /VERYSILENT /NORESTART /ALLUSERS |
MsiExec.exe /i WinSCP-x.y.z.msi INSTALLDIR="C:\WinSCP" /qn |
Disable WinSCP Check For Updates
REG ADD "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Martin Prikryl\WinSCP 2\Configuration\Interface\Updates" /v "Period" /t REG_DWORD /d "00000000" /f |
REG ADD "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Martin Prikryl\WinSCP 2\Configuration\Interface\Updates" /v "ShowOnStartup" /t REG_DWORD /d "00000000" /f |
Disable WinSCP Check For Beta Versions
REG ADD "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Martin Prikryl\WinSCP 2\Configuration\Interface\Updates" /v "BetaVersions" /t REG_DWORD /d "00000001" /f |
Disable WinSCP Collection of Anonymous Usage Statistics
REG ADD "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Martin Prikryl\WinSCP 2\Configuration\Interface" /v "CollectUsage" /t REG_DWORD /d "00000000" /f |
How to Uninstall WinSCP 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:
WinSCP Silent Uninstall (EXE) on 32-bit System
"%ProgramFiles%\WinSCP\unins000.exe" /VERYSILENT /NORESTART |
WinSCP Silent Uninstall (EXE) on 64-bit System
"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\WinSCP\unins000.exe" /VERYSILENT /NORESTART |
WinSCP Silent Uninstall (MSI)
| Version | WinSCP Silent Uninstall String |
6.1.1 | MsiExec.exe /x {938B8A73-A0D0-48AD-9893-BEE2E7DF97AD} /qn |
6.1 | MsiExec.exe /x {927BF7DF-B4FE-47E6-B273-37AEAB6826CF} /qn |
6.0.2 | MsiExec.exe /x {C839E1C7-6E19-4A44-BE72-710905F92518} /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.