How to Install and Use the Scoop

Intro

The Scoop package manager is a convenient tool for managing software packages on Windows systems. Similar to package managers on other operating systems, Scoop allows users to easily install, update, and remove software packages from the command line, simplifying the software management process.

With Scoop, you can quickly set up your development environment, install command-line tools, and keep your applications up to date. It provides a curated collection of packages from various sources, making it easy to find and install popular software packages and utilities.

This guide will walk you through the steps to install and use the Scoop package manager on your Windows system. By following these instructions, you’ll be able to harness the power of Scoop to streamline your software installation and management workflow.

Install Scoop Package Manager

Prerequisites

• PowerShell latest version or Windows PowerShell 5.1

PowerShell execution policy is required to be one of: Unrestricted, RemoteSigned or ByPass to execute the installer. For example:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Typical Installation

Run this command from a non-admin PowerShell to install scoop with default configuration, scoop will be install to C:\Users<YOUR USERNAME>\scoop.

irm get.scoop.sh | iex
# You can use proxies if you have network trouble in accessing GitHub, e.g.
irm get.scoop.sh -Proxy 'http://<ip:port>' | iex
# or use the mirror
iwr -useb https://gitee.com/glsnames/scoop-installer/raw/master/bin/install.ps1 | iex

Advanced Installation

You can use the legacy method to configure custom directory by setting Environment Variables.

$env:SCOOP='D:\Applications\Scoop'
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('SCOOP', $env:SCOOP, 'User')

$env:SCOOP_GLOBAL='F:\GlobalScoopApps'
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('SCOOP_GLOBAL', $env:SCOOP_GLOBAL, 'Machine')
scoop install -g <app>

Finding and Installing Packages with Scoop

Bucket

A Bucket is a repository of applications for Scoop. The repository contains App manifests for installation. If you are familiar with Homebrew, it is similar to a tap, although, in my opinion it is easier to use.

By default, Scoop uses the main Bucket. Usually, you will use other Buckets like extras, versions and java. Next, I will list the most relevant Buckets, but there are more, including third party Buckets.

• main: simple apps, non-graphical and relevant (for example grep).
• extras. apps that do not fit the main criteria. For example: Eclipse IDE for Java developpers.
• versions: Bucket for alpha, beta, nightly, dev, canary, insiders, release and old or not maintained apps.

# add: adds a Bucket to Scoop.
scoop bucket add extras
# list: lists the added Buckets.
scoop bucket list
# rm: removes the added buckets.
scoop bucket rm extras
# known: shows the official Scoop buckets.
scoop bucket known

App

An app within Scoop is an application that can be installed using Scoop. It is as easy as that.

The easiest way of searching apps on Scoop is using the official search. You will only find apps from the official Buckets and third party approved by Scoop.

To install apps, the first you need to do is to understand the Bucket concept explained previously. The easiest way to install an app is using the main Bucket apps as the Bucket comes added on Scoop by default.

scoop install python

When an app does not exist on main or any of the other repos you have added, Scoop will throw an error.

That is why you can use the Bucket prefix it belongs if you do not have the bucket installed. This is the way to install I prefer the most to use as it gives you the Bucket context the app belongs to.

scoop install extras/googlechrome

# or
scoop bucket add extras
scoop install googlechrome

To uninstall apps, you need to execute the uninstall command.

scoop uninstall googlechrome

Commands

You can check for all available scoop instructions by using scoop help command. Some commonly used commands are as follows.

Outro

Installing and managing packages don’t have to be a complex task. Luckily, you’ve learned how to install use Scoop in Windows for more convenient package management. You’ve realized that installing and keeping different versions of the same package is possible with Scoop.