Winget is Microsoft's package manager. It is not the capture app. the guides exist because the Windows command fails when App Installer is missing or not on PATH. After winget works, the rest of the desktop walkthrough sits on Windows install. Machine map: for this computer. Home keeps the same command at home.
How to install winget then this Windows app
- Open Start, type PowerShell or Terminal, and press Enter.
- Type winget and press Enter. If Windows prints help text, winget is already there.
- If the command is missing, install App Installer from Microsoft, then reopen the terminal.
- Paste
winget install -e --id OBSProject.OBSStudioand confirm the prompts. - Launch from Start, add a Display Capture or Window Capture, and record a test take.
Get App Installer from Microsoft
Official winget docs live at learn.microsoft.com winget. On Windows 11 and recent Windows 10, App Installer from the Store usually already provides winget: App Installer. That Store listing is Microsoft's. Winget needs App Installer on Windows 10 1809 or later, or Windows 11.
If you do not have the Store, official docs use aka.ms/getwinget. After first login, if winget is still missing, the official Learn page registers App Installer by family name:
Add-AppxPackage -RegisterByFamilyName -MainPackage Microsoft.DesktopAppInstaller_8wekyb3d8bbwePaste that in PowerShell, not in Command Prompt, unless you know that session can run it. Then close the window, open a new one, and type winget again. An old session can still have the old PATH. A school image can block App Installer, the Store, and winget together. Then this path is closed on that PC. Use the current OBS-Studio-*-Windows-x64-Installer.exe from GitHub Releases if policy allows a per-machine installer, or wait until you are on a PC you control.
Then run the Windows command
Paste this into PowerShell or Windows Terminal:
winget install -e --id OBSProject.OBSStudioThe package id is OBSProject.OBSStudio. Confirm the source before you install if you want to be sure:
winget show OBSProject.OBSStudioUAC may ask for consent. Read the prompt. Allow it only if you meant to install this app. microsoft/winget-pkgs lists installer type Nullsoft and machine scope, with GitHub exe URLs. That is the same family as OBS-Studio-*-Windows-x64-Installer.exe on Releases. Which file: releases. Safe fetch: download-safe.
The README itself does not print this winget line. It points at obsproject.com. The identifier in winget-pkgs is still the command the guides paste. Longer install: install on Windows. Winget-only notes: winget install.
| If this happens | Do this | Not this |
|---|---|---|
| winget is not recognized | Install App Installer from Microsoft, reopen Terminal, try again. | Fetch winget from a helper download site. |
| Package id looks similar | Require OBSProject.OBSStudio exactly. | Accept a lookalike publisher name. |
| Installer finishes, no window | Launch from Start. Confirm x64. Try the current GitHub exe if winget lagged. | Download a second copy from a wrapper portal. |
| Policy blocks App Installer | Take the current Windows x64 installer from GitHub if policy allows. | Hunt a portable on a countdown site. |
| Want a folder, not an installer | Take the Windows x64 zip from the same GitHub tag. | Run winget and a zip in the same hour. |
After winget finishes
Winget wraps the full Windows x64 Nullsoft installer. Default path is %ProgramFiles%\obs-studio. If launch still fails, match x64 to the PC, then open Start and search for the app. First hour: add one source, record a small window. Record walkthrough: record. First scene: first scene.
The microsoft/winget-pkgs folder can trail the newest GitHub tag. If you need the current tag the same day, take the exe from Releases. Portable zip users should expect VCRedist 2015+ x64 as named in winget-pkgs for that zip. Update on the same channel: winget upgrade -e --id OBSProject.OBSStudio. Uninstall with Apps settings or winget uninstall OBSProject.OBSStudio. Repo: GitHub notes. Guides: guides hub.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install winget for this app?
Install App Installer from Microsoft, then paste winget install -e --id OBSProject.OBSStudio. On current Windows, App Installer usually already provides winget. If the command is missing, register App Installer, then paste again. That answer stays tied to OBS Studio on Windows x64, the current GitHub release, and the winget id OBSProject.OBSStudio mapped in this guide.
What is the winget command?
The command is winget install -e --id OBSProject.OBSStudio. That is the id Microsoft already registered. It installs the same desktop app as the Windows x64 Nullsoft installer from GitHub Releases. That answer stays tied to OBS Studio on Windows x64, the current GitHub release, and the winget id OBSProject.OBSStudio mapped in this guide.
Does winget work without the Microsoft Store?
Official Learn docs point at aka.ms/getwinget when Store is missing. You can also register App Installer by package family name in PowerShell. Stay on Microsoft for that piece. Skip helper downloads. That answer stays tied to OBS Studio on Windows x64, the current GitHub release, and the winget id OBSProject.OBSStudio mapped in this guide.