# PowerShell snippet: check if software is installed

**Date:** 2017-10-24  
**Author:** Kees C. Bakker  
**Categories:** Automation, PowerShell, Windows  
**Original:** https://keestalkstech.com/powershell-snippet-check-if-software-is-installed/

![PowerShell snippet: check if software is installed](https://keestalkstech.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Powershell-commands1.jpg)

---

Some deployment scripts need to check if certain required software is installed on a Windows Machine. You could check if a specific file is present at a certain location, but there is a better way: the *uninstall* database in the *Windows Registry*!

PowerShell makes it really easy to query the registry using `Get-ItemProperty`. The path you want to query is `HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*`.

## Example: is .Net Core 3.1 Runtime installed?

Let's check:

```powershell
$software = "Microsoft .NET Core Runtime - 3.1.0 (x64)";
$installed = (Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Where { $_.DisplayName -eq $software }) -ne $null

If(-Not $installed) {
	Write-Host "'$software' NOT is installed.";
} else {
	Write-Host "'$software' is installed."
}
```

The script is both readable and easy to understand.

## Need something smaller?

If you really ~~want to hurt yourself~~ need something smaller, check this one-liner:

```powershell
(gp HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*).DisplayName -Contains "Microsoft .NET Core Runtime - 3.1.0 (x64)"
```

## Need to check a partial name?

If you need to match a partial name, you can use the `-Match` option. But be careful: *you might match more then a single installation*! So we need to evaluate the result differently and do a `-gt 0` to see if there are results.

```powershell
((gp HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*).DisplayName -Match "Core Runtime - 3.1").Length -gt 0
```

Need to know the name of software installed? Use the same query to print matching results:

```powershell
(gp HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*).DisplayName -Match "Core SDK"
```

PowerShell for the win!