Chocolatey deprecation: what's changing and how to move forward

From November 5, 2026, Chocolatey can no longer be selected for software installations, bundle installs, or new bundle creation. After January 5, 2027, Chocolatey-based automations stop working entirely.

Migration options

There are two ways to keep managing the software you currently deploy through Chocolatey.

Option 1: Switch to WinGet

For bundles: Go to Software Management, open the bundle, and change the software source from Chocolatey to WinGet.
For IT Automation: Open the IT Automation profile, clear the Chocolatey Update All checkbox, and select the WinGet Update All checkbox instead.
For ad-hoc installs: Select WinGet as the source when installing or updating software on a device.

Note:

Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable must be installed on devices before you can install software via WinGet.
Windows Server 2019 and Windows Server 2022 don't include WinGet, and it can't currently be pushed to these OS versions automatically. If you manage Chocolatey software on these servers, use Option 2 below instead.

Option 2: Run an install script through Atera Scripting

If a specific package has no WinGet equivalent, you can bring the package's own open-source install script or use AI Copilot to create one, and run it as an Atera script against your devices.

Locate the official, publicly maintained install script for the software you need (from the vendor or a well-known open-source maintainer).
Upload the script in Atera Scripting. If the script includes .exe or .msi files, make sure it uses silent installation arguments. For more information, see Create, upload, and generate scripts.
Run the script against the target devices, the same way you would run any other Atera script.

Windows Server 2019 / 2022: Since WinGet isn't available on these OS versions, use this script-based method for all Chocolatey-managed software, including installing WinGet itself via script if you want it on the machine going forward.

Frequently asked questions

Is WinGet a 1:1 replacement for Chocolatey?

For most software, yes. WinGet is built into Atera and works the same way. A small number of packages available in Chocolatey may not yet have a WinGet equivalent; if you hit this, see Option 2. The same applies to Windows Server 2019 and 2022, since WinGet isn't available on those OS versions at all.

What do I need to do?

If you use Chocolatey today, review your bundles and IT Automation profiles before November 5, 2026, and switch them to WinGet. Atera does not automatically recreate your bundles or automations for you. If you're on Windows Server 2019 or 2022, plan to move those workloads to script-based installs (Option 2) instead of WinGet.

WinGet and software management

Scripting

How can we help?

Common topics: