Inno Setup Silent Install & Uninstall Commands
When it comes to building software installers, Inno Setup stands out for its simplicity. It is a lightweight, script-driven installer framework that software vendors and internal IT teams widely adopt.
Although it lacks native MSI support that some enterprise environments require, Inno Setup provides an extremely efficient solution for building installers.
From an infrastructure management perspective, Inno Setup’s silent installation capabilities are a major asset. You don’t need to create response files as with InstallShield, and you avoid heavyweight dependencies.
By using the provided set of command-line switches, you can install or uninstall applications entirely silently. This makes Inno Setup a reliable choice for deploying software via tools such as MECM (SCCM) and Intune.
In this article, we'll walk through:
- How Inno Setup enables silent installations and uninstalls,
- Explore some of its command-line options,
- Share examples based on real-world enterprise use cases.
Whether you manage 100 users or 10,000, understanding how to automate Inno Setup deployments is a valuable skill for any IT professional.
Silent Installation with Inno Setup
Inno Setup supports silent and very silent installations through two key parameters:
Silent Installation Command
setup.exe /silent
This command runs the installer with a progress bar but without any user interaction.
Very Silent Installation Command
setup.exe /verysilent
This runs the installer with no UI at all—no progress bar, no prompts.
Commonly Used Parameters
Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
/silent | Installs the application silently, showing progress. |
/verysilent | Installs the application completely silently (no UI). |
/norestart | Prevents automatic system restart after installation. |
/dir="path" | Installs the application to a specified directory. |
/loadinf="file" | Installs the application using the installation options from an .inf file. |
/log="file" | Creates a log file of the installation process. |
/tasks="..." | Selects specific components or tasks (as defined in the script). |
For the full list of command-line parameters, you can check out the Inno Setup Command Line parameters documentation.
Example Silent Install Commands
Basic Silent Install
setup.exe /silent /norestart
Very Silent Install with Custom Directory and Log File
setup.exe /verysilent /dir="C:\Program Files\MyApp" /log="C:\Logs\MyAppInstall.log"
Creating an .inf File for Custom Install Settings
Use the /saveinf parameter to record installation settings into an INF file:
setup.exe /saveinf="C:\MyAppSettings.inf"
After you generate the INF file, reuse it to automate future installations:
setup.exe /verysilent /loadinf="C:\MyAppSettings.inf"
This is similar to an InstallShield ISS file, but the .inf file is simpler and less dependent on dialog sequences.
Silent Uninstallation with Inno Setup
To silently uninstall an Inno Setup-based application, locate the uninstaller EXE, usually found in the application’s installation directory, and run it with silent parameters. The file typically appears as unins000.exe.
unins000.exe /verysilent /norestart
This command will remove the application silently without displaying user prompts or restarting the system.
Conclusion
Inno Setup remains a popular choice among IT professionals and software developers for its lightweight, flexible, and scriptable framework for building and automating installers.
However, if you work in an environment that requires MSI-based deployments, digital signing, and advanced patching, Advanced Installer may be a better fit. You can explore Advanced Installer through its 30-day full-feature trial.
Written by
Horatiu Vladasel
Horatiu is a Software Packager/Sequencer with over 10 years experience, who has worked as a Software Packager at IBM and is currently offering software packaging services to companies such as BT or Nationwide.