#916 Suggestion: Keeping PeaZip’s existing WinGet package updated would help users and reduce support load

[John Navas]

First, thank you for continuing to maintain PeaZip — it remains one of the most capable and user‑friendly archiving tools on Windows.

I want to make a suggestion that could benefit both you and users.

1. PeaZip already appears in WinGet, but you may not be aware of its significance

WinGet is Microsoft’s official, built‑in package manager for Windows 10 and 11. It is included by default on all modern systems and is now the primary update mechanism for many users.

Because PeaZip already has a WinGet package, many users naturally rely on it for updates — often without visiting SourceForge or your website.

2. When the WinGet package lags behind, users assume something is wrong

If the WinGet version stays behind the latest release (as it is now), users often think:

• the update is missing
• the package is abandoned
• something is wrong with the installer
• they downloaded the wrong version

This leads to repeated questions and confusion, even though the actual PeaZip release is available.

3. Keeping the WinGet manifest updated is very low effort

Since the package already exists, updating it typically requires only:

• updating the version number
• updating the installer URL
• updating the SHA256 hash

This is a quick process.

4. WinGet can reduce your support burden

When the WinGet package is current:

• users update automatically
• fewer people run outdated versions
• fewer users report issues already fixed
• fewer people ask “why isn’t PeaZip updating?”
• fewer users download from unofficial mirrors

In other words, WinGet becomes a self‑maintaining update channel that reduces friction for both you and users.

5. A small amount of effort could make a real difference

PeaZip already appears in WinGet, and many users rely on it without realizing it’s not official. Keeping the manifest updated would significantly reduce user confusion and support load, while requiring very little effort on your part.

Thank you for considering this, and thank you again for all the work you put into PeaZip.

[Giorgio Tani]

I tried after 11.1.0 update, and retried today, but with no success.

winget-pkgs/manifests/g/Giorgiotani/Peazip/ is organized in directories matching the version number, last being 11.0.0.
As I try to create a new release with Add file > Create new file I'm asked to fork the project, but fork fails with "An unexpected error occurred. Please try again".
If I try with Add file > Upload files (after I created the new release files locally) it fails with "Uploads are disabled. File uploads require push access to this repository."

I may be missing something, but it seems the only way to update on winget is creating a ticket and hope someone with correct authorization can pick it up (by the way the profile of the contributor which updated last time to 11.0.0 says no longer publishing on winget, only Codeberg).

[John Navas]

Hi Giorgio,

Thanks for looking into the WinGet update and for explaining the forking problem. Since the issue seems to be on the GitHub/WinGet side rather than on your end, I opened a Package Issue with the WinGet team so they can investigate why your fork attempts are failing.

Here’s the Issue link for reference:
https://github.com/microsoft/winget-pkgs/issues/377277

Hopefully they can resolve the fork error so you’ll be able to maintain the PeaZip manifest directly.

Thanks as always for your great work on PeaZip!

[Giorgio Tani]

I've filed just now an update request, as it seems the current update procedure.
https://github.com/microsoft/winget-pkgs/issues/377516

BTW I remember to have updated a couple of times past versions with classic fork/merge Git mechanism and I had no idea about their policy change.
Also, it seems their repo does not get automatic updates about apps repos state as i.e. Flatpak repo does, which would be a nice improvement.

[John Navas]

Thanks for the update, Giorgio.
Hopefully the WinGet team can sort out the forking issue so you can maintain the manifest directly again.
I've been updating my Issue:
[Package Issue]: Giorgiotani.Peazip · Issue #377277 · Microsoft/Winget-Pkgs
https://github.com/microsoft/winget-pkgs/issues/377277

[John Navas]

I got nowhere in Microsoft/Winget-Pkgs, so I opened a new Issue (with the same content):
Unexpected Error When Maintainer Attempts to Fork Winget-Pkgs · Issue #6244 · Microsoft/Winget-Cli
https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli/issues/6244

[John Navas]

I got nowhere in Microsoft/Winget-Cli either.
Confirmation that WinGet is not a reliable maintenance tool.
I won't be wasting any more of our time on it.
Apology.