Last updated on August 15th, 2023 at 12:41 am
For mass distribution of software, there are a few options. Group Policy and Configuration Manager are perfect examples of systems that can utilise the MSI installer for silent distribution to push out to a number of devices on a corporate network. Below we will show a brief simple guide on how to use MSI installers for silent installation.
Using MSI Installers for Fully Silent Distribution
If you want to run the MSI installers as completely silent, then you can use the following command:
msiexec.exe /i "MSIinstaller.msi" /q /norestart

MSI Installers for Automated Installation with a GUI
If you want to run the MSI installers as automated but displayed to the end user, then you can use the following command:
msiexec.exe /i "MSIinstaller.msi" /passive /norestart

Parameter Options
where:
- msiexec.exe – this starts the MSI installer engine
- /i – this tells the msiexec.exe to run an install
- “MSIinstaller.msi” – filename of the MSI installer
- /q – tells the msiexec.exe to run as silent
- /qb – tell the msiexec.exe to run as automated with no modal options
- /qb+ – same as above but will end with a wizard box telling you or the end user that the installation process has completed
- /passive – tells the msiexec.exe to run as automated but display to end user
- /norestart – tells the msiexec.exe to not allow an automatic restart after installation completion
You can also use different parameter options to carry out an uninstall. All you need to do is to change the /i parameter for a /x parameter. This will then tell the MSI to run an uninstall instead of an installation.

Obviously, some installers may have different parameters but the above are the most common.
MSI Downloads
If you are looking for any MSI installers, we would suggest that you take a look at our full range of downloads which includes installers for a huge range of software, including hard-to-find installers like Adobe Flash Player, Java and FoxIt Reader.
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