PowerShell moves to MSIX
PowerShell 7.7 is shifting to MSIX as the default installer and deprecating MSI packaging, a change flagged for enterprise deployment and management. The packaging switch changes software delivery and trust models and was described in an enterprise‑impact analysis published recently. (windowsnews.ai)
Microsoft will stop shipping new Windows Installer packages for PowerShell starting with PowerShell 7.7-preview.1 and make Microsoft Installer XML the default Windows package instead. (devblogs.microsoft.com) The change was announced by the PowerShell team on April 10, 2026. Microsoft said existing releases, including PowerShell 7.6, will keep their Windows Installer packages, but PowerShell 7.7 general availability and later releases will not. (devblogs.microsoft.com) PowerShell is Microsoft’s command-line shell and scripting tool, and on Windows it installs side by side with Windows PowerShell 5.1 instead of replacing it. Until now, Microsoft’s install guide listed Windows Installer as the best choice for Windows Server and enterprise deployment scenarios. (learn.microsoft.com) Microsoft said the new package format uses a declarative model, meaning setup follows a fixed manifest instead of custom install scripts. The company said that makes installs more predictable and reliable than Windows Installer packages, which often depend on custom actions. (devblogs.microsoft.com) The company also tied the switch to updates and accessibility. Microsoft said Microsoft Installer XML supports built-in differential updates and that Windows Installer does not meet modern accessibility requirements, especially for screen-reader use. (devblogs.microsoft.com) That creates a break with the current PowerShell 7.6 release, published March 12, 2026, which still ships both Windows Installer and Microsoft Installer XML bundles for Windows. The 7.6 release artifacts on GitHub include x64 and Arm64 Windows Installer files alongside Microsoft Installer XML bundles. (github.com) Microsoft also acknowledged that Microsoft Installer XML still falls short in some places enterprises use PowerShell today. The PowerShell team said the format does not yet support every scenario enabled by Windows Installer, including remoting and execution by system-level services such as Task Scheduler. (devblogs.microsoft.com) The company said it is now working on system-level deployment support, accessibility across installation paths, and clearer tooling for large-scale rollouts. For administrators who built software distribution around Windows Installer, the packaging change is no longer theoretical; it starts with the next preview. (devblogs.microsoft.com)
