How to keep a backup of all your programs windows 11

Winget is Microsoft's native Windows package manager that enables you to export a comprehensive list of all installed applications into a simple JSON or YAML file, which can then be used to automatically reinstall all programs on a fresh Windows system with a single command. This is the official way to keep a backup of all your programs on Windows 11.

Step 1: Check Winget version and install update.

winget --version
winget upgrade --all

Step 2: Export all installed programs as a list.

# Basic export to JSON file
winget export -o "C:\Backup\programs.json"

# Export with additional options
winget export -o "C:\Backup\programs.json" --include-versions --source winget,msstore

# Export specific sources only
winget export -o "C:\Backup\winget-only.json" --source winget

# Export with custom name and date
winget export -o "C:\Backup\programs-$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd').json"

Step 3: Review and customize export file. Open the JSON file in Notepad or VS Code.

• Remove unwanted programs from the list
• Add specific versions or constraints
• Comment out lines with // for temporary exclusion
• Modify source priorities

Winget provides a lightweight, efficient, and native solution for making a backup of all installed programs in Windows 11. While it doesn't backup program settings or user data, it excels at rapid redeployment of software ecosystems. The process is straightforward: export to JSON, optionally customize the list, then import on the target system.