8 Ways To Get List Of Installed Programs For Backup In Windows

This post discusses different ways you can obtain and save a list of the installed programs. Although the screenshots and the methods focus on Windows 11, they are also valid for Windows 10 and earlier Microsoft operating systems.

Getting The List Of Installed Programs

Using Windows PowerShell

Windows PowerShell lets you get a complete list of the installed programs on your computer. There are several ways to do so using PowerShell alone.

Getting The List Of Installed Programs Using Windows PowerShell Get-ItemProperty WMIC Using Command Prompt From Settings App Through Control Panel Through CCleaner Using NirSoft UninstallView Using Belarc Advisor Closing Words

Get-ItemProperty

Perform the following steps to obtain a complete list of installed programs using the Get-ItemProperty cmdlet: You can now use your mouse pointer to highlight and copy this data and save it locally on your PC.

WMIC

Windows Management Instrumentation Command-Line Utility (WMIC) is a command-line utility integrated into Windows which can be used to perform Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) operations. Here is how to use it to obtain a complete list of the installed programs: You will now find a text file named “list” in your C drive containing the complete list of the installed programs, which will look something like the image below.

Using Command Prompt

You can also obtain a list of the installed programs using Command Prompt. Here is how: Alternatively, you can also enter the WMIC prompt and export the list in a text file, as we did in Windows PowerShell in the section above. Enter the following commands one after the other to export the list of installed programs to the root of the C drive: You can now find the text file named “list” in the root of the C drive.

From Settings App

Since Microsoft has been shifting most of the controls to the Settings app from the Control Panel, they have also made a list of the installed apps and programs available in the app. Navigate to the following to see the list of installed programs on your computer: Here, you will see all the installed apps under App list. You may now take a screenshot of the page using the Print Screen button on your keyboard (or any third-party tool) and save the complete list of installed programs.

Through Control Panel

You can also view all of your Installed programs easily through the Control Panel. You can open up the Programs and Features page within the Control Panel directly by typing in the following in Run. Now you can take a screenshot of the page using the Print Screen button on your keyboard (or any third-party tool) and save the list so that you can later get a view of your installed program in a time of need.

Through CCleaner

CCleaner is a small tool that helps you to make your PC’s performance better by removing unnecessary and temporary files. The utility can also give you a list of all installed programs on your computer. Follow the guide below to obtain a list of the installed programs: You will now find a text file at the preferred location containing a detailed list of the installed programs. However, this list will also include the apps that are pre-installed in Windows by Microsoft, such as Solitaire, Photos app, etc.

Using NirSoft UninstallView

UninstallView is another lightweight third-party utility that can be used to view and import a complete list of the installed programs on your PC. Perform the following steps to do so: You will now see an HTML file open in your default web browser containing a detailed list of the installed programs. This list will also be saved in the extracted folder from where you launched the UninstallView application, which you can open at any time.

Using Belarc Advisor

Belarc Advisor scans your PC and forms a detailed report on its specifications and other elements. This includes the complete list of the installed programs. Perform the following steps to generate a list of installed programs using Belarc Advisor.

Closing Words

The internet is filled with other tiny tools that will generate an HTML file for you with the installed applications and programs listed. However, we have discussed above the most convenient tools to use for the purpose, as well as the native methods to obtain the said list. So these all are easy and handy ways to have a view of all installed programs on your computer and save them locally in either text files or images via screenshots. What do you do to save the list of installed programs in Windows?