Automation

WinUtil automation replays a saved setup instead of clicking through the interface each time. Export a configuration file once, then apply the same apps and tweaks across every machine you build.

WinUtil supports predefined presets that apply common configurations automatically:

Standard
Minimal
Advanced

Example:

& ([ScriptBlock]::Create((irm "https://christitus.com/win"))) -Preset Standard

To view exactly what each preset does, see: https://github.com/ChrisTitusTech/winutil/blob/main/config/preset.json

To find a key for a custom configuration, hover over a supported application, tweak, feature, or AppX entry in WinUtil. Its tooltip shows Preset key: <key>. Application keys are searchable on the Install tab, while tweak and AppX keys are searchable on their respective tabs. Feature keys are available from their tooltips because the Config/Features tab does not have search. Controls that cannot be applied from a preset, such as toggle switches, drop-downs, and package-manager choices, intentionally do not advertise a preset key.

To create your own config file:

Open WinUtil.
Click the gear icon in the top-right corner.
Choose Export.
Save the exported JSON file.

Once you have exported a config, launch WinUtil with it using this command:

& ([ScriptBlock]::Create((irm "https://christitus.com/win"))) -Config "C:\Path\To\Config.json"

This is useful for:

Applying the same WinUtil configuration across multiple Windows 11 PCs
Reusing a known-good baseline after reinstalling Windows
Standardizing deployments for labs, workstations, or personal setups

Exported configurations contain the WinUtil catalog keys that existed when the file was created. Current exports use a flat JSON format: one string when a single setting is selected, or an array of strings when several settings are selected. If a later WinUtil version removes or renames any imported key, the entire import is rejected before current selections are changed. PowerShell reports the stale entry as Unknown selection key '<key>'.

Older WinUtil versions exported a JSON object with Install package metadata and grouped WPFInstall, WPFTweaks, WPFToggle, and WPFFeature selections. When importing one of these legacy files, WinUtil restores the keys that still exist and skips retired keys, recording them as a warning in the WinUtil log. If the file contains no supported selections, the import makes no changes.

To recover, compare the reported key with the current files in the WinUtil configuration catalog. Remove or replace the stale key in your JSON file, or create and export a new configuration with the current WinUtil version, then run the import again. Re-export long-lived baselines after catalog changes so they remain compatible.