• Listen for archives and installers to appear in Downloads folder (as well as any subfolders)
• Auto-unpack .zip, .rar, .7z and .iso archives
• Auto-run .msi installers silently (will also uninstall first)
• Auto-detect installer type and run .exe installers silently (currently supports NSIS, Inno Setup, InstallAware and InstallShield installers)

• Install 7-Zip 64-bit using installer
• Either download auto-install.exe from Releases and run it
• Or install latest AutoHotkey_1.1.x.x_setup.exe using installer (v2 is not supported), download and unpack the source code, then run auto-install.ahk or run auto-install.exe.ahk to compile auto-install.exe
• Open folder %UserProfile%\Downloads
• Put installers/archives in the Downloads folder, they should automatically unpack and install

e.g. Bitwig Studio 5.1.2.msi downloaded from the Bitwig download page using Google Chrome:

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• Automatically unpack and install hardware drivers or software you download with your browser, e.g. Google Chrome (notably installers that are not yet available for package managers such as WinGet or Ninite)
• Save all your drivers/software in a folder, and when reinstalling Windows, copy/move them to Downloads folder to automatically unpack and install them all.

protip: most apps save their settings in folders %AppData%, %LocalAppData%, %ProgramData%, %USERPROFILE%\Documents or windows registry paths such as Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE. if you backup these, you will probably be able to automatically restore your app settings after reinstalling windows (instead of having to configure them again manually). more on this here

• Run this in cmd/powershell: mklink /j "<DefaultInstallerLocation>" "<DesiredLocation>"
• Then run the installer (or move it to Downloads folder to auto-install)

e.g.: run mklink /j "C:\Program Files\Bitwig Studio" "D:\Apps\Bitwig Studio"

• Move the whole folder from <AlreadyInstalledLocation> to <DesiredLocation> (not the contents)
• Run this in cmd/powershell: mklink /j "<AlreadyInstalledLocation>" "<DesiredLocation>"

e.g.: move C:\Program Files\Bitwig Studio folder to D:\Apps\, resulting in D:\Apps\Bitwig Studio. then run: mklink /j "C:\Program Files\Bitwig Studio" "D:\Apps\Bitwig Studio"

protip: you can also save the mklink command in notepad and run it as a .bat file

Create an issue. Describe the problem and include the installer filename. If needed, run strings2.exe <installer.exe> manually from the script folder and include the output. It usually contains words such as NSIS, Inno Setup etc which auto-install uses to determine which type of installer.

Yes. Download auto-install.exe from Releases. GitHub Actions compiles it from auto-install.ahk.

If you want to build it locally, run auto-install.exe.ahk and AutoHotkey should create a standalone compiled version for you in the same folder.

protip: this will have proper taskbar icon, and you can pin it to the taskbar

No. It's a portable app which uses only the folder it is located in to generate things. Simply delete the script folder and it should be like the app never existed.

It won't. WatchFolder() function only listens for changes (new files added to the Downloads folder or its subfolders). In any case, if you ever need to kill the app, simply press ESC when it is open.

Yes — all source code is available here on GitHub. There’s no hidden behavior. However, note that the app will run any installer you drop into your Downloads folder, so be cautious about what executables you use. Always verify the source.

Not directly. Installers don't typically offer a flags for all the options. For music plugins, .aax, .vst3, etc. don't take much space, but you can do the following:

1. Install and use Everything or similar to search for .aaxplugin, .clap, .vst3
2. Recycle what you don’t need, verify that your plugins still work then delete them permanently.

Yes. Modify this line in auto-install.ahk:

Folder := ComObjCreate("Shell.Application").NameSpace("shell:downloads").self.path to something like Folder := "D:\Temp"

1. Ensure you are using AutoHotkey v1.1 (not v2) and follow the instructions carefully.
2. Ensure you copy or download the installersr into the folder while auto-install.ahk is still running. It will not work if the installers are already present in the folder when you start auto-install.ahk

• strings2 by Geoff McDonald
• WatchFolder() by just me
• FileGetVersionInfo_AW() by SKAN
• Stdout() by CyL0N
• taskbarInterface{} by HelgeffegleH

64-bit operating system and installers are prioritized. Not for Mac OS or Linux.