Chocolatey deprecation: what’s changing and how to move forward

dima_from_atera
dima_from_atera Member, Administrator, Internal Posts: 209 admin
edited October 5 in News and announcements

We want to share an upcoming change to software management in Atera.

Atera can no longer offer the Chocolatey integration in its current form moving forward.

This will be a phased transition for existing customers, giving you time to review your current setup and choose the software installation and patching path that best fits your environment.

What is changing?

Chocolatey is currently used in several areas of Atera, including:

  • Software Management for software search, ad-hoc installation, updates, and bundles
  • IT Automation profiles for recurring software updates
  • AI Center / End User Software Management for software made available for end-user self-service

The deprecation will happen gradually rather than all at once.

Timeline

From October 5, 2026

For new customers, Chocolatey will no longer be available.

For existing customers, this begins the notification period. Existing Chocolatey-based installations, bundles, and IT Automation workflows will continue to operate during this phase.

From November 5, 2026

Chocolatey will no longer be available for:

  • Ad-hoc software installations
  • Bundle installations
  • Creating or selecting Chocolatey-based bundles

Existing Chocolatey-based IT Automation workflows will continue for an additional two months.

From January 5, 2027

Chocolatey-based automations will no longer be supported.

What can I use instead?

There isn’t a single replacement path for every environment. Atera will continue to offer several options for installing and patching software.

WinGet

For many common Windows applications, WinGet is built into Atera at no additional cost and can be used for software installation and update workflows.

Atera Scripting

For software that isn’t available through WinGet, you can use Atera Scripting with your own scripts and installation packages, including MSI and EXE installers. AI Copilot can help build you the scripts if needed.

Private Software Repository

Customers on Enterprise (ITD) and SuperPower (MSP) plans can also use Atera’s Private Software Repository to manage their own vetted, proprietary, or custom software packages and use them as part of their software deployment and patching workflows.

Learn more about Private Software Repository:
https://support.atera.com/hc/en-us/articles/8883471350556-Private-software-repository

How we’ll communicate the change

This is a multi-step communication process.

Throughout the transition, we’ll use a combination of product notifications, email communication, Community updates, and Knowledge Base documentation to make sure affected customers have the information they need ahead of each phase.

We’ve also published a dedicated Knowledge Base article covering the deprecation, migration paths, and additional details:

Chocolatey deprecation: what’s changing and how to move forward
https://support.atera.com/hc/en-us/articles/30657984699548-Chocolatey-deprecation-what-s-changing-and-how-to-move-forward

IMPORTANT: We recommend reviewing your existing Software Management bundles and IT Automation profiles ahead of the upcoming dates and identifying any workflows that currently rely on Chocolatey.

If you need help understanding which migration path is the right fit for your environment, please reach out to Atera Support or your Atera Customer Success contact. I'm also here to answer your questions on the matter.

++
Dima L
Technical Product Marketing Manager
Atera

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Comments

  • jstewart
    jstewart Member Posts: 26 ✭✭✭

    Hi Dina,

    Can you please comment on what this means for software requiring ongoing updates on devices that had the initial install completed via Chocolatey?

    Also, can you please providing troubleshooting information for if WinGet fails (log info, and remediation)? I've historically found WinGet to be more unreliable than Chocolatey, and my onboarding kick-off bundle keeps failing.

    THanks,
    Jeremy

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