# Chocolatey Application: Chocolatey Software Also called choco, chocolatey.org Chocolatey Software, System A community Windows package manager that predates winget. The process is choco.exe. It is not WinGet. ## What you need to know Chocolatey is the older community manager. WinGet is Microsoft's later CLI. Chocolatey Software's choco.exe predates winget. Get it from chocolatey.org/install. Package ids do not match WinGet. Scoop and Ninite are different tools. - **What is it?**: A community Windows package manager **Same as WinGet?**: No. Different client and catalog **Command?**: choco.exe Feex says If the script says choco, I would install Chocolatey from chocolatey.org. If the script says winget, I would use App Installer. Mixing the two lines is how ids fail. ## What is Chocolatey? choco.exe installs packages from Chocolatey's community feed (and other sources you add). winget.exe is Microsoft's later client. They do not share package ids. ## If you have never used it If a README says "choco install", Chocolatey is the community package manager from Chocolatey Software. It started in 2011, before winget. Install it from chocolatey.org/install. The command is choco.exe. It is not WinGet, not Scoop, and not Ninite. ## What is it used for? **choco install from the community repo** That one-liner is why people still use Chocolatey. winget install uses Microsoft's catalog and different ids. **choco upgrade all** A Chocolatey habit. winget upgrade --all is the Microsoft parallel, not this exe. **Internal feeds on commercial SKUs** Chocolatey Software sells that. Scoop buckets are a different layout. ## Who is it for? - People following an older Windows setup script - Shops that already standardized on choco - Anyone comparing this to winget or Scoop ## Current status Chocolatey (2011) is a current package manager from Chocolatey Software. The vendor still points Windows users at https://chocolatey.org/install. ## How old is it? Chocolatey launched in 2011. WinGet arrived in 2020. Scoop in 2013. Many older Windows guides still say choco because this repo was first. Current Windows also has winget in App Installer. ## Versions Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here. Open source client Chocolatey for Business ## System requirements Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need. ### Minimum | Operating system | Windows 10 or Windows 11, per current Chocolatey docs | | ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | | RAM | Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more. | ## Resource profile - **CPU demand**: Follows the installer a package runs **Network demand**: Downloads from the feed you chose ## Installed processes These executables belong to this product when it is installed. | choco.exe | Package manager CLI | | --------- | ------------------- | ## Startup components choco.exe is a CLI. It should not start with Windows. Some packages add their own Startup. ## File locations | Typical install | C:\ProgramData\chocolatey\\ | | --------------- | --------------------------- | ## File formats Nuspec packages. packages.config lists ## Common problems ### Package id is not the winget id choco search and winget search are different catalogs. Copying an id across tools fails. ### Community package quality varies Read the package page. WinGet's source has its own review rules. Neither is Ninite's curated checkbox page. ## Getting unstuck ### Install from chocolatey.org/install with the documented PowerShell A random choco.exe in Downloads is not the client. winget is already on many PCs if you wanted Microsoft's CLI. ### choco source list if installs fail A broken source is Chocolatey config. Scoop's buckets are a different file tree. ### Run the prompt as administrator for machine-wide installs User-scope Scoop is the other model. Chocolatey often wants admin. ## Alternatives WinGet for the Microsoft catalog. Scoop for user-folder tools. Ninite for a one-shot installer page. ## Official help and downloads Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel. | Download | [chocolatey.org/install ](https://chocolatey.org/install)Official installer or vendor page | | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Help | [docs.chocolatey.org/ ](https://docs.chocolatey.org/)Vendor support | | Official site | [chocolatey.org/ ](https://chocolatey.org/)Start here, not a random exe host | ## Related hardware Network and disk for the packages you pull. The client itself is small. ## Technical details Technical details Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build. ## Related These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link. [Scoop: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/scoop)[WinGet: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/winget)[How to read Task Manager: Guide](https://feex.it/wiki/software/system/how-to-read-task-manager) ## Sources and verification Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research). - [Chocolatey official site ](https://chocolatey.org/)· Vendor product page - [Chocolatey help ](https://docs.chocolatey.org/)· Vendor support - [Chocolatey docs ](https://docs.chocolatey.org/)· Install and commands - [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark. ## Was this article useful? A yes or no is enough. Pick a reason if you want, or add a short note. Quick facts The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article. - **Developer**: Chocolatey Software **Category**: Package manager **Process**: choco.exe **License**: Apache 2.0 client. Commercial editions exist **First released**: 2011 **Official site**: [chocolatey.org](https://chocolatey.org/) **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026 --- Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/software/chocolatey/) [Developer guide](https://feex.it/wiki/developers/) | [API policy](https://feex.it/developers/api-policy/) | [Agent guidance](https://feex.it/wiki/llms.txt)