How can I install git (with bash on PowerShell) on PowerShell?

Question

https://gitforwindows.org/ has an option to put bash into PowerShell. I need that so no installing WSL and etc. I need to install git unattended, that is, with command line only. Existing tutorials like this only launch the installer using PowerShell, but I have to use the mouse to install stuff.

So, how can I install git, with bash on PowerShell, using PowerShell?

UPDATE:

I tried

Write-Host "Installing Git for windows..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
$exePath = "$env:TEMP\git.msi"

Write-Host "Downloading..."
(New-Object Net.WebClient).DownloadFile('https://github.com/git-for-windows/git/releases/download/v2.37.1.windows.1/Git-2.37.1-64-bit.exe', $exePath)

Write-Host "Installing..."
Start-Process msiexec.exe -Wait -ArgumentList '$exePath /NORESTART /NOCANCEL /SP- /CLOSEAPPLICATIONS /RESTARTAPPLICATIONS /COMPONENTS="icons,ext\reg\shellhere,assoc,assoc_sh" /LOG="C:git-for-windows.log"'

git --version
bash

but it gets stuck on "Installing..." and does not print any other outputs.

Why are you saving the download as an msi? – scottwtang Aug 11 '22 at 02:46 — scottwtang, Aug 11 '22 at 02:46

stackprotector · Accepted Answer · 2022-08-12T08:12:08.807

There are two problems:

Git for Windows does not get released as an MSI package. And you cannot convert a regular executable into an MSI package just by renaming it. You do not need msiexec.exe at all. The installer itself has already paramaters to perform a silent installation. Just execute it as is:
```
$exePath = "$env:TEMP\git.exe"
Start-Process $exePath -Wait -ArgumentList '/NORESTART /NOCANCEL /SP- /CLOSEAPPLICATIONS /RESTARTAPPLICATIONS /COMPONENTS="icons,ext\reg\shellhere,assoc,assoc_sh" /LOG="C:\git-for-windows.log"'
```
But: This will sill launch a GUI. So you have to add more parameters to make the installation really silent. Further reading:
- Git: Silent or Unattended Installation
- Git For Windows Silent Install Silent Arguments
TL;DR: Also add /VERYSILENT and you might want to use /LOADINF to customize some settings.

After the successful installation, you will face the same problem, you already did in your similar question, I just answered. TL;DR:

The environment variables in your current Process scope are not updated automatically. Update them manually by:

foreach($level in "Machine","User") {
   [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariables($level).GetEnumerator() | % {
      # For Path variables, append the new values, if they're not already in there
      if($_.Name -match 'Path$') { 
         $_.Value = ($((Get-Content "Env:$($_.Name)") + ";$($_.Value)") -split ';' | Select -unique) -join ';'
      }
      $_
   } | Set-Content -Path { "Env:$($_.Name)" }
}

This code is taken from this answer.

After that, git --version and Get-Command git will work.

Full script:

$exePath = "$env:TEMP\git.exe"

# Download git installer
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://github.com/git-for-windows/git/releases/download/v2.37.1.windows.1/Git-2.37.1-64-bit.exe -UseBasicParsing -OutFile $exePath

# Execute git installer
Start-Process $exePath -ArgumentList '/VERYSILENT /NORESTART /NOCANCEL /SP- /CLOSEAPPLICATIONS /RESTARTAPPLICATIONS /COMPONENTS="icons,ext\reg\shellhere,assoc,assoc_sh"' -Wait

# Optional: For bash.exe, add 'C:\Program Files\Git\bin' to PATH
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Path', "$([Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('Path', 'Machine'));C:\Program Files\Git\bin", 'Machine')

# Make new environment variables available in the current PowerShell session:
foreach($level in "Machine","User") {
   [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariables($level).GetEnumerator() | % {
      # For Path variables, append the new values, if they're not already in there
      if($_.Name -match 'Path$') { 
         $_.Value = ($((Get-Content "Env:$($_.Name)") + ";$($_.Value)") -split ';' | Select -unique) -join ';'
      }
      $_
   } | Set-Content -Path { "Env:$($_.Name)" }
}

# Work with git
git --version
bash

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 13 '22 at 15:41

# Make new environment variables available in the current PowerShell session:
function reload {
   foreach($level in "Machine","User") {
      [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariables($level).GetEnumerator() | % {
         # For Path variables, append the new values, if they're not already in there
         if($_.Name -match 'Path$') { 
            $_.Value = ($((Get-Content "Env:$($_.Name)") + ";$($_.Value)") -split ';' | Select -unique) -join ';'
         }
         $_
      } | Set-Content -Path { "Env:$($_.Name)" }
   }
}
Write-Host "Installing git..." -ForegroundColor Cyan

$exePath = "$env:TEMP\git.exe"

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://github.com/git-for-windows/git/releases/download/v2.37.1.windows.1/Git-2.37.1-64-bit.exe -UseBasicParsing -OutFile $exePath

Start-Process $exePath -ArgumentList '/VERYSILENT /NORESTART /NOCANCEL /SP- /CLOSEAPPLICATIONS /RESTARTAPPLICATIONS /COMPONENTS="icons,ext\reg\shellhere,assoc,assoc_sh"' -Wait

[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Path', "$([Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('Path', 'Machine'));C:\Program Files\Git\bin", 'Machine')

reload

git --version
bash --version

JOSHIN · Answer 3 · 2022-08-09T05:25:44.567

This is not the exact answer for your question.

Since you do not prefer something as heavy as WSL, I have a good alternative for your purpose that also promises native windows filesystem support. Use MSYS2 instead of gitbash. This is far better and git-bash is originally based on MSYS2

Download the prefered package of MSYS2.
If you downloaded the GUI installer, install it via CLI with .\msys2-x86_64-latest.exe in --confirm-command --accept-messages --root C:/msys64

Or if you had downloaded the self extracting archive, install it using .\msys2-base-x86_64-latest.sfx.exe -y -oC:\

Lauch MSYS2, then update the packages list with pacman -Syu.
Install git with pacman -S git

You will eventually come to love it. Note that some keyboard shortcuts you are used to in linux may not work example Ctrl+Shift+v for pasting is not supported and Windows uses Shift+Insert

Credits

score 1 · Answer 4 · answered Aug 11 '22 at 05:23

Just in case, check if the /LOG="C:git-for-windows.log" part of your command has a typo

 /LOG="C:\git-for-windows.log"
        ^^^ 
        (\ was missing)

That way, you can try again, and monitor C:\git-for-windows.log for logs.

Also, make sure you have the right to write directly under C:\.
A /LOG="$env:userprofile\git-for-windows.log" might be safer.

score 1 · Answer 5 · answered Aug 11 '22 at 18:30

Run the git install once with the SAVEINF parameter, choosing all the options that you'd like to install in the installation UI:

.\Git-2.37.1-64-bit.exe /SAVEINF="c:\temp\git-install.inf"

This will create an install configuration file, which you can use to do a silent install of git using powershell:

$uri = 'https://github.com/git-for-windows/git/releases/download/v2.37.1.windows.1/Git-2.37.1-64-bit.exe'
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $uri -OutFile git-install.exe
.\git-install.exe /LOADINF="c:\temp\git-install.inf" /VERYSILENT

This will spawn a background process and exit immediately. You can wait for it to complete like this:

while (Get-Process *git-install*) { sleep -seconds 5 }

score 0 · Answer 6 · answered Dec 09 '22 at 17:39

Now its very easy to use git terminal on PowerShell just use following commands

First, Set execution policy as remotesigned. Run powershell as Administrator and run below command

set-executionpolicy remotesigned

To install the git on powershell

Install-Module posh-git -Scope CurrentUser -Force

To import the git module

Import-Module posh-git

To load profile by default on powershell startup

Add-PoshGitToProfile -AllHosts

How can I install git (with bash on PowerShell) on PowerShell?

6 Answers6