The terminal UI lets you search, install, update and remove software without opening the UniGetUI desktop window. It is included with UniGetUI; no separate terminal application or package is needed.
It uses the same package managers, settings, installation options, ignored updates, bundles and operation history as the desktop app. In normal mode, your actions affect the software on your computer. Your saved automatic-update and scheduled-maintenance preferences also apply. Use demo mode to explore safely.
Install UniGetUI using the installation guide. You do not need to build it from source to use the terminal UI.
If uniget is on your PATH, open a terminal and run:
uniget tuiOtherwise, use the launcher included with your installation:
| Platform | How to start |
|---|---|
| Windows | Open PowerShell in the UniGetUI installation folder and run .\uniget.exe tui. |
| Linux | Installed .deb and .rpm packages provide uniget tui. From an extracted archive, open its folder and run ./uniget tui. |
| macOS | After installing in Applications, run /Applications/UniGetUI.app/Contents/MacOS/uniget tui. From an extracted archive, run ./uniget tui in its folder. |
On Windows, selecting Add to PATH during installation lets you use uniget from any
folder. Open a new terminal after installation. Portable installations do not change PATH;
run the launcher from the portable folder. See the CLI guide for more
launch options and portable mode for portable installation details.
In PowerShell, use uniget.exe, not UniGetUI.exe directly. The launcher keeps PowerShell
waiting while you use the TUI. If you need to launch UniGetUI.exe itself, run this from its
installation folder:
Start-Process -FilePath .\UniGetUI.exe -ArgumentList 'tui' -NoNewWindow -WaitAt startup, a version banner and Initializing UniGetUI engine (loading package managers)...
appear while your package managers load. The interactive screen opens afterwards; there is
no progress bar during this initial step.
Press F1 for help at any time and Ctrl+Q to quit.
Demo mode provides sample packages so you can try searching, installing, updating and uninstalling without calling real package managers or changing your normal UniGetUI settings:
uniget tui --fake-dataIf uniget is not on your PATH, use the same platform-specific launcher as above, followed
by tui --fake-data.
The screen displays FAKE DATA throughout the session. Packages and operations are simulated, downloads do not use the network, and cloud backups stay in a local demo folder. Links and "open" actions show their target instead of launching another application. Actions that would change your real machine, such as repairing WinGet or managing desktop shortcuts, are unavailable.
To keep your demo settings and sample package changes between sessions, choose a dedicated folder and reuse it:
uniget tui --fake-data-dir "my-tui-demo"Without a chosen folder, each launch uses a new temporary sandbox.
The numbered tabs take you to each page. Use Alt+1 through Alt+9, or click a tab. Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab move to the next and previous pages. Some terminals also support Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+9.
| Tab | What you can do |
|---|---|
| 1 Discover | Search for packages and install them. |
| 2 Updates | Review available updates, update packages, or ignore and pause updates. |
| 3 Installed | View installed packages, uninstall or reinstall them, and open installation locations. |
| 4 Bundles | Create, open, save and install lists of packages. |
| 5 Operations | Follow installation progress and output, cancel operations, or retry failures. |
| 6 Managers | Check package manager status, enable or disable managers, and manage package sources. |
| 7 Settings | Change preferences, default installation options, update behavior, backups and scheduled maintenance. |
| 8 Logs | Read and export UniGetUI and package manager logs. |
| 9 History | Review previous operations, view their logs, or run them again. |
Use Tab and Shift+Tab to move between controls. F10 opens the menu bar; use the arrow keys to choose a menu or action, then Enter to activate it. The Page menu contains actions for the page you are viewing.
- Open Discover with Alt+1, press Ctrl+F, type a package name or ID, and press Enter.
- When results appear, press Down to move to the list and use the arrow keys to highlight a package. Press Enter to view its details.
- Back in the list, press Ctrl+Enter to install the highlighted package, or o to review installation options first. Use Space to select multiple packages for a batch installation.
The source, sort and search-mode controls above the list let you narrow the results. Press m in the list to see all available actions for the package.
Open Updates with Alt+2 or Installed with Alt+3. Review the packages and use Space to select or unselect them. Ctrl+Enter updates packages on the Updates page and uninstalls packages on the Installed page. It acts on checked packages, or on the highlighted package if none are checked.
Updates are selected by default unless you have changed that preference. Check the selection before starting a batch. Press m for other actions, such as ignoring an update, skipping a version, pausing updates or reinstalling a package.
In a package list, press o to choose options such as version, architecture, installation scope or location, additional command-line arguments, and administrator or interactive mode. Available choices depend on the package manager. Some operations require administrator permission.
Open Operations with Alt+5 to see progress and command output. Use its actions to cancel or retry an operation. History keeps previous operations and their logs, while Logs provides application and package manager diagnostics.
Use Bundles to create or open a list of packages, save it, and install its contents.
Supported bundle formats are .ubundle, .json, .yaml and .xml. You can also open an
existing bundle when starting the TUI:
uniget tui "my-packages.ubundle"Review any bundle security warnings before confirming installation.
These shortcuts apply when the relevant page or package list has focus. When typing into a text field, ordinary letters enter text instead of running package actions.
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Alt+1 through Alt+9 | Go to a numbered page tab |
| Ctrl+Tab / Ctrl+Shift+Tab | Next / previous page |
| Tab / Shift+Tab | Next / previous control |
| Esc | Close a dialog or menu, or return from a search field to the list |
| F10 | Open the menu bar |
| Alt+letter | Open a menu using its highlighted access letter |
| F1 | Open help |
| F5 or Ctrl+R | Reload the current page |
Ctrl+F or / |
Focus search or filtering |
| Ctrl+A | Select all packages |
| Ctrl+Q | Quit |
| Space | Select or unselect the highlighted package |
| Enter | View package details |
| Ctrl+Enter | Install, update or uninstall, depending on the page |
o or Alt+Enter |
Open installation options |
m |
Show all actions for the package |
i / u / x |
Install / update / uninstall |
b |
Add packages to a bundle |
g |
Ignore updates |
f / s / F3 |
Filter by source / sort / change search mode |
Inside dialogs, use Tab to move between fields, the arrow keys to change choices, Enter to activate a control, and Esc to cancel.
Choose a theme in View > Theme or Settings > User interface preferences > Theme. The change appears immediately and is saved for future sessions.
The default is Devolutions - Graphite. Other choices include Devolutions Black, Light, Dark Blue, Blue, Gray and High contrast, plus Dracula, Monokai, Nord, Gruvbox Dark, Solarized Dark, Solarized Light, One Dark, Tokyo Night and Catppuccin Mocha.
Use High contrast if you need stronger separation between text, controls and backgrounds. Older 16-colour consoles display approximate theme colours.
For a temporary theme, use --theme <id>. Run uniget tui --help to see the theme IDs.
Add these options after uniget tui:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
--page <id> |
Start on discover, updates, installed, bundles, operations, managers, settings, logs or history. help and about open their dialogs. |
--theme <id> |
Choose a theme for this session without saving it. |
--fake-data |
Explore with simulated packages and separate settings. |
--fake-data-dir <folder> |
Explore with simulated packages and keep demo state in the chosen folder. |
--updateapps |
Start updating every available package after the update check finishes. |
<bundle-file> |
Open an existing .ubundle, .json, .yaml or .xml package bundle. |
--help |
Show usage, settings commands and theme IDs, then exit. |
For example, open the Updates page to review available updates:
uniget tui --page updatesUse --updateapps only when you intend to update all available packages. Unlike
--page updates, it requests automatic updates rather than just choosing the starting page.
Your saved automatic-update preferences still apply without this option.
Settings import, export and individual setting changes can also be run without opening the
interactive screen. Use uniget tui --help for their syntax.
Most package-management tasks are available in both interfaces. The terminal UI displays progress and notifications within the terminal rather than using a tray icon or system notifications. Settings that only affect the desktop window are labelled (desktop app).
The TUI does not update UniGetUI itself. Install application updates through the desktop app or your usual installation method; the Help menu links to the release page. The Devolutions Agent policy inspector and editor are available only in the desktop app.
| Problem | What to try |
|---|---|
uniget is not recognized |
Open a new terminal after adding UniGetUI to PATH, or run the launcher from the installation folder. |
| PowerShell shows another prompt while the TUI starts, or reports "The parameter is incorrect" | Use .\uniget.exe tui, or the explicit Start-Process command above. Do not launch .\UniGetUI.exe tui directly from an interactive PowerShell prompt. |
| The startup screen stays on "loading package managers" | Initialization must finish before the interactive screen appears. If startup fails, keep the error message for troubleshooting. |
| A package manager is unavailable or a package action is missing | Check Managers for its status and enabled state. Available actions depend on the manager and platform. |
| Alt shortcuts do not work | Use F10 and the arrow keys for menus. On macOS Terminal, enable Settings > Profiles > Keyboard > Use Option as Meta key. |
| Alt+Enter switches Windows Terminal to full screen | Use o to open installation options instead. |
| Colours look different or menu letters are not underlined | Try a modern terminal such as Windows Terminal. Older consoles have a smaller colour palette. |
Run the TUI in an interactive terminal, not with its input or output redirected to a file or pipeline.
For more help, press F1 or use the Help menu. When reporting a problem, include your UniGetUI version, operating system, terminal application, and the error or relevant logs. Help > About provides terminal diagnostics, and Logs lets you export logs for review.