Beginning with PowerShell 7.7-preview.1 (April 2026), the MSIX package will be the primary installation method for PowerShell on Windows. We will no longer ship the MSI installer package for new PowerShell releases.
For existing releases, including PowerShell 7.6, we will continue to provide MSI packages. However, MSI isn’t planned for future releases, including PowerShell 7.7 GA and beyond.
Why we’re making this change
MSIX provides a modern installation and servicing model and is supported by Windows deployment tools. It uses a declarative model that’s more predictable and reliable than MSI, which relies on custom actions and scripts that can lead to inconsistent behavior. MSIX supports built-in update mechanisms with differential updates. Microsoft is investing in improving MSIX.
MSI is a legacy technology. Servicing MSI installations requires external tooling and often results in full reinstalls. MSI doesn’t meet modern accessibility requirements, particularly for screen reader scenarios. To be accessible, MSI must present predictable tab stops and accurate announcements for screen readers, which it doesn’t. Accessibility is a core requirement for PowerShell.
This decision isn’t just about modernizing packaging for its own sake. It’s about ensuring that PowerShell installations are modern and accessible for all users, now and in the future.
Looking forward
Our goal is to provide a fully accessible, reliable, and enterprise-ready installation experience. At this time, MSIX doesn’t support all use case scenarios that MSI enabled, such as remoting and execution by system-level services (like Task Scheduler). We recognize this gap and are actively working to address it.
As part of this work, we’re investing in:
- Improving MSIX support for system-level and enterprise deployment scenarios
- Ensuring accessibility requirements are fully met across all installation paths
- Providing clearer guidance and tooling for deployment at scale
We will continue to share updates as this work progresses.
Closing
We understand this change may require adjustments, especially in environments that rely heavily on MSI-based deployment. We appreciate your patience as we make this transition.
Our focus is to ensure PowerShell remains accessible, predictable, and practical for all users.
— The PowerShell Team
Where do we download and install the latest, most bleeding-edge PowerShell Core builds?!?
winget pwsh-core/preview is still on 7.6.0.101
“We haven’t made MSIX work in a lot of scenarios, but we’re still deprecating MSI because…reasons.”
That’s not a really well-thought-out approach.
Yeah. I agree. That does seem to be a premature decision. MSI has been great for years. I understand the need to modernize, but if the replacement does not support all current use cases — especially in enterprise environments — that would be a step backward. Okay.
Thanks everyone for the feedback — we're reading all of it and taking it seriously. We understand
that MSI has been a reliable and well-understood deployment model for many environments, especially
in enterprise scenarios, and we don't take changes like this lightly.
PowerShell 7.6 is an LTS release and we will continue to include MSI support for its supported
lifecycle, providing time for environments to plan and adapt.
Our direction toward MSIX is based on long-term goals around reliability, accessibility, and
alignment with the Windows platform. At the same time, we recognize that MSIX doesn't yet cover all
of the scenarios that...
Here’s the PR that was merged for removing MSI:
https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/pull/27213
We should make our voices heard there (and/or create a new issue for this) that we do not want this change
Already approved, closed, and merged looks like. I went ahead and threw out a discussion thread if anyone wants to add on their own concerns
https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/discussions/27292
Sorry Jason, but “We are taking away something you rely on and know how to work with and replacing it with something you did not ask for” is always bad.
The platitudes in the “closing” part do not reflect well on you, and probably make people who find this frustrating even more cross.
I’m so glad I’m moving to MacOS and Linux… This is a terrible idea and yet another indication Microsoft gives zero effs about customers.
MSIX is a total charlie foxtrot and should have been dropped with Windows 8.
Windows server?
Windows Server CORE?
Very bad decision. MSIX is blocked in huge enterprises.
Back to PS 5.1
Most organizations will just uninstall PowerShell > 5.1 that’s caked into the OS, I’m going to be honest with you. This feels like a decision that was made without talking any enterprise I.T. teams.
Well, that means some apps, particularly our own Powerbuilder and C++ apps will to be repackaged…