Scoop

ApplicationScoop

Also called scoop.sh, scoop installer

ScoopSystem

A user-folder package manager for dev tools. The launcher is scoop.cmd. It is not Chocolatey.

What you need to know

Scoop installs into your user folder. Chocolatey is the older admin-friendly manager.

Scoop puts packages under the user profile. Get it from scoop.sh. The command is scoop.cmd. It is not Chocolatey and not WinGet. Buckets are Scoop's extra feeds.

What is it?: A user-folder package manager
Same as Chocolatey?: No. Scoop stays in your profile
Command?: scoop.cmd

Feex says

If you cannot get admin and you want git on PATH, I would install Scoop from scoop.sh. I would use Chocolatey when the shop already lives in ProgramData. I would use winget when the id is in Microsoft's catalog.

What is Scoop?

scoop.cmd is a batch shim that runs the Scoop PowerShell app. Packages live under the user profile. choco.exe is a different manager. winget.exe is Microsoft's client.

If you have never used it

If you want dev tools in your user folder without admin, Scoop is the manager from scoop.sh. It installs into ~/scoop and puts shims on PATH. The command is scoop (scoop.cmd). It is not Chocolatey, which often wants admin and ProgramData, and it is not WinGet.

What is it used for?

scoop install user-scope tools

Git, ripgrep, and other extras land in ~/scoop. Chocolatey often writes to ProgramData instead.

Buckets for extra apps

scoop bucket add extras is a Scoop idea. Chocolatey sources and WinGet sources are different configs.

No admin for many packages

That is the point. Some installers still need elevation. WinGet has its own scope flags.

Who is it for?

Developers who do not have admin on the PC
People who want tools isolated in the user profile
Anyone comparing this to choco or winget

Current status

Scoop (2013) is a current user-folder package manager from Scoop. The vendor still points Windows users at https://scoop.sh/.

How old is it?

Scoop started in 2013. Chocolatey is older (2011). WinGet is newer (2020). Scoop's story is user-scope installs for developers. It is not an in-box Windows component.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

scoop.sh current

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	Windows 10 or Windows 11 with PowerShell, per scoop.sh
RAM	Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more.

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows the package being installed
Disk demand: Everything lives under the user scoop folder

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
scoop.cmd	Shim launcher (cmd), not a long-running exe

Startup components

scoop.cmd is a command. Packages may add Startup. Scoop itself should not.

File locations

Common Scoop locations
Typical install	C:\Users\<you>\scoop\

File formats

JSON manifests. buckets as git repos

Common problems

PATH missing after install

Open a new prompt. Scoop shims live under ~/scoop/shims. Chocolatey's PATH is a different folder.

A GUI app expected a Start tile

Many Scoop packages are CLI. WinGet and Chocolatey more often add Start shortcuts.

Getting unstuck

Install from scoop.sh with the documented PowerShell

A random scoop.exe on a forum is not the project. chocolatey.org is the other manager if you wanted choco.

scoop doctor if shims fail

That is Scoop's self-check. winget source list is a different tool's repair.

Add the extras bucket only if you need those manifests

main versus extras is a Scoop split. It is not a Chocolatey source name.

Alternatives

Chocolatey for machine-wide community packages. WinGet for Microsoft's catalog. Ninite for a one-shot GUI bundle.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	scoop.sh/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	github.com/ScoopInstaller/Scoop/wiki Vendor support
Official site	scoop.sh/ Start here, not a random exe host

Related hardware

User-profile disk space matters. An admin-locked PC is the usual reason to pick Scoop.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Scoop official site · Vendor product page
Scoop help · Vendor support
Scoop GitHub · Source and issues
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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