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05 · App Deployment (Win32)

What I Learnt

1. What is the Win32 Content Prep Tool?

Intune cannot deploy standard .msi or .exe installers directly. Instead, they must be packaged into the .intunewin format first — a compressed, encrypted wrapper that Intune can distribute and track.

The Microsoft Win32 Content Prep Tool (IntuneWinAppUtil.exe) is a command-line utility that handles this conversion. It takes an installer file as input and outputs a single .intunewin file ready for upload to Intune.

The tool is free and available on GitHub: github.com/microsoft/Microsoft-Win32-Content-Prep-Tool

2. How to use the prep tool

What you need

  • The installer file - in this lab, GoogleChromeStandaloneEnterprise64.msi downloaded from google.com/chrome/enterprise
  • IntuneWinAppUtil.exe downloaded from the GitHub link above
  • A source folder containing the installer
  • An output folder for the .intunewin file

Running the tool

Place IntuneWinAppUtil.exe and the installer in the same folder, then open Command Prompt in that folder and run:

IntuneWinAppUtil.exe -c "C:\path\to\source" -s "GoogleChromeStandaloneEnterprise64.msi" -o "C:\path\to\output"
Flag What it does
-c Source folder containing the installer
-s The setup file (the installer)
-o Output folder where the .intunewin file will be saved

The tool will generate GoogleChromeStandaloneEnterprise64.intunewin in the output folder. This is the file uploaded to Intune.

Note: The .intunewin file is encrypted — you cannot open or inspect it after it is created. If you need to make changes to the installer, rerun the prep tool to generate a new package.

Alternatively, run the .exe file and it will guide you through the process. The wizard will ask you the same questions as the command line arguments.

3. Pushing required apps to devices

In Intune, apps can be assigned to groups in two ways:

Assignment type What it does
Required App is automatically installed on the device without user interaction
Available App appears in Company Portal for the user to install manually

Setting an app as Required for the Intune Lab Devices group means Intune will push it to every device in that group automatically. The user does not need to do anything — the app installs silently in the background and appears in Company Portal once complete.

Deploying a Win32 App

Step 1 — Package the installer

  1. Download IntuneWinAppUtil.exe from github.com/microsoft/Microsoft-Win32-Content-Prep-Tool
  2. Download the Chrome enterprise MSI from chromeenterprise.google/browser/download — select 64-bit MSI
  3. Create two folders — source and output
  4. Place the MSI in the source folder
  5. Open Command Prompt and run:
IntuneWinAppUtil.exe -c "C:\source" -s "GoogleChromeStandaloneEnterprise64.msi" -o "C:\output"
  1. The .intunewin file will appear in the output folder

Step 2 — Add the app to Intune

  1. intune.microsoft.com → Apps → All apps → Add
  2. App type: Windows app (Win32) → Select
  3. Click Select app package file → upload the .intunewin file → OK
  4. Fill in the app information:
Field Value
Name Google Chrome
Publisher Google
Version (from the MSI filename or Google's site)
  1. Click Next

Step 3 — Configure install and uninstall commands

Intune needs to know how to install and uninstall the app silently.

Field Value
Install command msiexec /i "GoogleChromeStandaloneEnterprise64.msi" /quiet
Uninstall command msiexec /x {ProductCode} /quiet
Install behaviour System

The product code for the uninstall command can be found in the registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall after Chrome is installed, or from Google's documentation.

Step 4 — Detection rules

Detection rules tell Intune how to check whether the app is already installed, to avoid reinstalling it unnecessarily.

  1. Rule format: MSI
  2. Intune will auto-populate the MSI product code from the .intunewin package — leave it as is

Step 5 — Assignments

  1. Under Required click Add group → select Intune Lab Devices → Select
  2. Click Next → Review + create → Create

Intune will begin pushing Chrome to all devices in the group. The app will install silently and appear in Company Portal once complete.

Verification Checklist

  • [ ] .intunewin package created using the Win32 Content Prep Tool
  • [ ] App uploaded to Intune with correct install and uninstall commands
  • [ ] App assigned as Required to Intune Lab Devices group
  • [ ] Chrome auto-installed on enrolled devices
  • [ ] App shows as installed in Company Portal
Resource URL
Win32 Content Prep Tool github.com/microsoft/Microsoft-Win32-Content-Prep-Tool
Chrome Enterprise download chromeenterprise.google/browser/download
Intune Admin Centre intune.microsoft.com
Win32 app deployment docs learn.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/intune/apps/apps-win32-app-management

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