Update-WinGetPackage -WhatIf: Installs the update instead of saying what it would do #4622

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1. microsoft-github-policy-service

   added

   Needs-TriageIssue needs to be triagedIssue needs to be triaged

   on Jul 8, 2024
2. Demitrius Nelon (denelon)

   added

   Issue-BugIt either shouldn't be doing this or needs an investigation.It either shouldn't be doing this or needs an investigation.

   PowerShellIssue related to WinGet PowerShell Module or cmdletIssue related to WinGet PowerShell Module or cmdlet

   Command-UpgradeIssue related to WinGet UpgradeIssue related to WinGet Upgrade

   and removed

   Needs-TriageIssue needs to be triagedIssue needs to be triaged

   on Jul 8, 2024
3. jdhitsolutions commented on Aug 9, 2024

   

   Jeff Hicks (jdhitsolutions)

   on Aug 9, 2024

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   This is also true of Install-WingetPackage. I ran install-wingetpackage git.git -Verbose -WhatIf and it installed Git . This is a MAJOR issue.
4. jdhitsolutions commented on Aug 9, 2024

   

   Jeff Hicks (jdhitsolutions)

   on Aug 9, 2024

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   On a related note, commands like Repair-WingetPackageManager should also support -WhatIf because they are changing the state of the system. Commands should have decent verbose output so that if I run Repair-WingetPackageManager -verbose -whatIf I can see exactly what will change.
5. denelon commented on Sep 6, 2024

   

   Demitrius Nelon (denelon)

   on Sep 6, 2024

   Collaborator

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   For Update-WinGetPackage what would you expect the output to be?

   Something like:

   PS C:\> Update-WinGetPackage Microsoft.PowerShell -WhatIf
   What if: Update Microsoft.PowerShell version 7.4.4.0 to Microsoft PowerShell version 7.4.5.0

   Would you expect it to be the WinGet Package identifier "Microsoft.PowerShell", or the value in Apps and Features? In this case it would just be PowerShell.
6. jdhitsolutions commented on Feb 7, 2025

   

   Jeff Hicks (jdhitsolutions)

   on Feb 7, 2025

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   This is still a MAJOR issue. It should not download anything, nor should it install anything if I pass -WhatIf. It should show the package name, the version to be installed and the source.

   👍React with 👍1Reacted by dodexahedron
7. dodexahedron commented on Mar 4, 2026

   

   dodexahedron (dodexahedron)

   on Mar 4, 2026

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   The cmdlet declares SupportsShouldProcess=true, but it absolutely does not support it.

   It literally just creates the command in ProcessRecord and then calls Update on it.

   There's a call to ShouldProcess in PackageCommand.cs. But it is not the standard ShouldProcess method, and the problem is here:

           /// <summary>
           /// Prompts the user if it should continue processing if possible.
           /// </summary>
           /// <param name="target">Message.</param>
           /// <returns>If the operation should continue.</returns>
           internal bool ShouldProcess(string target)
           {
               // If not on the main thread just continue.
               if (this.pwshThread != Thread.CurrentThread)
               {
                   return true;
               }
   
               return this.psCmdlet.ShouldProcess(target);
           }

   Since it's all done in async Tasks, the chance it happens on the foreground thread is effectively 0, so this method breaks things.

   Also, doing it there, in that several-layers-up base class loses the context of the ShouldProcess. I think that method itself just needs to go away and the ShouldProcess calls should be to the standard ShouldProcess method, performed in each leaf commandlet at the appropriate time. For Update-WinGetPackage, that'd be either before the call to command.Update or even before constructing the command in the first place...

   Otherwise, SupportsShouldProcess should be false, since it DoesntSupportShouldProcess as currently implemented.
8. mwilsonin commented on Jun 29, 2026

   

   mwilsonin

   on Jun 29, 2026

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   I just found this module after seeing Demitrius Nelon (@denelon) speak at PSConfEU. I tried it out using -WhatIf and it updated my apps.

   Please recognize that this is a fundamental breach of trust with your users. Cmdlets run with -WhatIf must never change states. Please just set SupportsShouldProcess to false until this is resolved. This was reported almost two years ago.

   👍React with 👍1Reacted by dodexahedron
9. dodexahedron commented on Sep 24, 2026

   

   dodexahedron (dodexahedron)

   on Sep 24, 2026

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   Strongly agreed, mwilsonin

   Needless to say, it is a rather surprising and concerning behavior.

   Just for a general alternative to doing an Update-WinGetPackage -WhatIf, until/unless this gets fixed, you can instead do a Get-WinGetPackage | Where-Object IsUpdateAvailable to at least see what has updates available, though that isn't technically exactly the same operation.
10. dodexahedron commented on Oct 4, 2026

    

    dodexahedron (dodexahedron)

    on Oct 4, 2026

    Last edited by dodexahedron

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    It should show the package name, the version to be installed and the source.

    And maybe the files/folders that will be replaced, added, and removed, as well. And for exe installers which don't provide enough info, it could at least say what it is going to execute.

    And that all could be either just written directly to the success stream or, better/more helpfully, it could write out an object that has those properties but which has type format data that makes it only show a summary view by default, letting you inspect the lower-level details if you want/need to.

    And pleeeaaase make any such class public and non-sealed, with a public constructor or factory method, so other tools can derive from the type and remain compatible with the module.

    And pleeaaaase be pipeline-friendly (ideally accepting those very classes in an array) so we don't have to foreach-object everything output by the get-* commands.