MSI Wrapped

The top-level msiWrapped key contains a set of options instructing electron-builder on how it should build Windows MSI-Wrapped packages.

What is MSI-Wrapped?

MSI-Wrapped is a hybrid approach that combines the customizability of NSIS with the enterprise deployment compatibility of MSI. It works by:

1. Building your normal NSIS installer
2. Wrapping the NSIS .exe inside a minimal MSI package
3. The MSI acts as a thin shell that executes the NSIS installer when deployed

This allows enterprise IT teams to deploy the package through MSI-compatible tools (Group Policy, SCCM, Intune) while you retain all of NSIS's powerful customization capabilities for the actual installation experience.

MSI-Wrapped vs. Native MSI

Aspect	MSI-Wrapped	Native MSI
Underlying installer	NSIS	WiX-generated MSI
NSIS customization	Full	None
Enterprise MSI deployment	Yes	Yes
Silent install	Via NSIS flags	Via MSI /quiet
Windows Store (MSIX)	Limited	Better
Complexity	Lower	Higher

When to Use MSI-Wrapped

Choose MSI-Wrapped when:

• You already have a well-configured NSIS installer and need to deploy it via Group Policy or MDM
• Your enterprise customers require MSI format but you don't want to maintain a separate MSI configuration
• You need NSIS-level UI customization combined with MSI deployment

Choose native MSI when:

• You need full MSI capabilities (custom actions, rollback, MSI database manipulation)
• You're targeting Windows Store / MSIX conversion
• You need clean per-machine/per-user support without NSIS

Configuration

Wrapped Installer Arguments

Pass additional command-line arguments to the wrapped NSIS installer when it is executed:

msiWrapped:
  wrappedInstallerArgs: "/S /D=C:\\MyApp"

Impersonation

msiWrapped:
  impersonate: false    # Default: false

When impersonate: true, the MSI wrapper executes the NSIS installer under the user's identity rather than the system/SYSTEM account. This is useful for per-user installations that need to access user-specific resources.

Upgrade Code

msiWrapped:
  upgradeCode: "{A1234567-BCDE-F012-3456-789ABCDEF012}"

Critical: Do Not Change After First Release

See the MSI upgrade code warning — the same applies here.

Complete Example

win:
  target:
    - nsis
    - msi-wrapped

nsis:
  oneClick: false
  perMachine: true
  allowToChangeInstallationDirectory: true

msiWrapped:
  upgradeCode: "{A1234567-BCDE-F012-3456-789ABCDEF012}"
  impersonate: false
  wrappedInstallerArgs: "/SILENT"

Configuration

Interface: MsiWrappedOptions

Extends

• CommonWindowsInstallerConfiguration.TargetSpecificOptions

Properties

additionalWixArgs?

readonly optional additionalWixArgs?: string[] | null

Any additional arguments to be passed to the WiX installer compiler, such as ["-ext", "WixUtilExtension"]

---

artifactName?

readonly optional artifactName?: string | null

The artifact file name template.

Inherited from

TargetSpecificOptions.artifactName

---

createDesktopShortcut?

readonly optional createDesktopShortcut?: boolean | "always"

Whether to create desktop shortcut. Set to always if to recreate also on reinstall (even if removed by user).

Default

true

Inherited from

CommonWindowsInstallerConfiguration.createDesktopShortcut

---

createStartMenuShortcut?

readonly optional createStartMenuShortcut?: boolean

Whether to create start menu shortcut.

Default

true

Inherited from

CommonWindowsInstallerConfiguration.createStartMenuShortcut

---

impersonate?

readonly optional impersonate?: boolean

Determines if the wrapped installer should be executed with impersonation

Default

false

---

menuCategory?

readonly optional menuCategory?: string | boolean

Whether to create submenu for start menu shortcut and program files directory. If true, company name will be used. Or string value.

Default

false

Inherited from

CommonWindowsInstallerConfiguration.menuCategory

---

oneClick?

readonly optional oneClick?: boolean

Inherited from

CommonWindowsInstallerConfiguration.oneClick

---

perMachine?

readonly optional perMachine?: boolean

Whether to install per all users (per-machine).

Default

false

Inherited from

CommonWindowsInstallerConfiguration.perMachine

---

publish?

optional publish?: Publish

Inherited from

TargetSpecificOptions.publish

---

runAfterFinish?

readonly optional runAfterFinish?: boolean

Whether to run the installed application after finish. For assisted installer corresponding checkbox will be removed.

Default

true

Inherited from

CommonWindowsInstallerConfiguration.runAfterFinish

---

shortcutName?

readonly optional shortcutName?: string | null

The name that will be used for all shortcuts. Defaults to the application name.

Inherited from

CommonWindowsInstallerConfiguration.shortcutName

---

upgradeCode?

readonly optional upgradeCode?: string | null

The upgrade code. Optional, by default generated using app id.

---

warningsAsErrors?

readonly optional warningsAsErrors?: boolean

If warningsAsErrors is true (default): treat warnings as errors. If warningsAsErrors is false: allow warnings.

Default

true

---

wrappedInstallerArgs?

readonly optional wrappedInstallerArgs?: string | null

Extra arguments to provide to the wrapped installer (ie: /S for silent install)