Getting a quick list of all your installed software in Windows can be surprisingly handy—whether you’re troubleshooting, cleaning up, or just curious about what’s lurking in the background. The built-in tools like Command Prompt and PowerShell make this pretty straightforward, but sometimes it’s not as crystal clear as it should be. So here are a couple of methods that actually work, even if Windows makes it a tiny bit complicated or inconsistent. Expect to find text files with the software names, and if you want, even CSVs for easier browsing or importing into spreadsheets. Honestly, the commands are kinda simple once you get the hang of them, but the important thing is that they do work on most setups, though sometimes they can be a bit buggy or slow to load. Also, on certain machines, running as admin is crucial, or you’ll get zero results.
1. Using Command Prompt
This method uses WMIC, which is pretty old-school but still works in most Windows versions. It pulls a list of all installed products directly from the system’s Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).It’s why it’s useful: if you want a clear, text-based list—names, versions, all that jazz. The catch? Not all software gets picked up perfectly, especially if installed via the Microsoft Store or with newer app installation methods. When it’s triggered correctly, it creates a neat text file in your C: drive, so you can check what’s installed without digging into Settings.
How to do it:
- Open Start Menu and type
CMD. Right-click on it and select Run as administrator.(Yeah, gotta elevate privileges for full results sometimes.) - In the black window that pops up, paste this command—just copy and right-click to paste if needed:
wmic /output:C:\InstalledSoftwareList.txt product get name, version - Hit Enter. The process might take a few seconds or even a couple of minutes, depending on how many programs are actually installed.
- Once it’s done, go check out your C:\ drive — there should be a file called InstalledSoftwareList.txt. Opening it will show all the software with their names and versions.
If you want a CSV for easier sorting, run this command next—note, it might need you to tweak the computer name for your setup:
wmic product get name, version /format:csv > C:\ComputerName.csv
2. Using PowerShell
PowerShell is a bit more powerful, especially if WMIC doesn’t give you the full scoop. It can pull info directly from the registry or WMI class objects. Sometimes, it’s a little slower, but it tends to be more thorough, especially with newer installs. The big thing? You’ll probably want to run PowerShell as administrator too — otherwise, results might be limited or missing entirely. It’s a good backup if WMIC isn’t cutting it or you want more details like publisher or install date.
How to do it:
- Search for PowerShell in the Start menu, right-click, and choose Run as administrator.
- Copy and paste this command and press Enter:
Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Select-Object -Property Name, Version | Out-File -FilePath C:\InstalledSoftwareList.txt - Sometimes it fails or takes forever, especially on certain Windows versions. If the list isn’t showing what you want, try this alternative to directly query the registry (which is more reliable but also more complex):
- Copy this, and run it on PowerShell too — it pulls a more comprehensive list directly from the uninstall registry keys:
Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion, Publisher, InstallDate | Format-Table –AutoSize > C:\InstalledSoftwareList.txt
This approach might seem a bit convoluted, but on some setups, it catches stuff the other method misses. Just keep in mind that some programs, especially Store apps, might still not show up. If things get weird, try rebooting after running commands. Sometimes Windows just has to ‘catch up’.
If you stumble on issues or incomplete lists, messing around with different commands or doing the registry hunts might be the way to go. It’s kind of weird, but these are the best options without grabbing third-party software, which tends to be more straightforward but not always free or trustworthy. Hope the commands work smoothly for most setups—you might need to tweak them depending on your Windows version or if you’ve got special permissions disabled.