Install the Windows preview

The WinUI Manager is currently a self-contained directory preview for Windows 11 24H2 x64. It bundles .NET and Windows App SDK files alongside the application. Keep the complete directory together.

An unsigned per-user setup preview is implemented separately. Clean-system/update/uninstall acceptance is not complete; there is no single-file WinUI executable. WinUI is the only Manager, with executable SteamWrapper.Manager.exe. Current version-tag releases are unsigned portable prereleases; Dioxus releases are historical and do not contain the current WinUI Manager.

Get a versioned preview

1. Open GitHub Releases and choose a release whose notes identify the WinUI Windows x64 portable preview.
2. Read its known limits and English or Simplified Chinese notes. A historical Dioxus setup package is not the current application.
3. Download SteamWrapper-<tag>-win-x64.zip and SHA256SUMS from that release. The ZIP’s tag must match the release you selected.
4. Compare the ZIP’s SHA-256 with the matching line in SHA256SUMS, then extract the entire ZIP into a directory you intend to keep.

For example, PowerShell’s Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 -LiteralPath '.\SteamWrapper-v0.2.1-preview.1-win-x64.zip' displays the digest to compare. This is an example filename, not a claim that this version has been released. Release assets also include release.json and separate English/Simplified Chinese notes.

If no WinUI release is available, use a manual workflow preview or the local build below. The release workflow publishes only after its gates and package checks pass; a successful run does not prove compatibility with every Windows installation or game.

Get an on-demand workflow preview

Ordinary pull requests and merges into main run CI without uploading an application package. A maintainer can open the WinUI version release workflow, select the intended branch or ref under Run workflow, and request a build. A manual run performs the full build and gates but never publishes a public release.

From a successful manual run, download SteamWrapper-WinUI-preview-windows-x64 and extract every file. Do not use the separate test-evidence artifact as the application. Workflow artifact downloads may require GitHub sign-in and expire with the retention period. Maintainers should provide the selected source revision with the preview.

The separate SteamWrapper-WinUI-installer-preview-windows-x64 artifact contains an unsigned setup preview and inspection metadata. Read the installer guide before using it; it has not passed the clean-client/signing gates.

Open the complete application

In ordinary Windows File Explorer, open the extracted directory and double-click SteamWrapper.Manager.exe.

Retain its supporting DLLs, native .pri resources, Assets, Runner and zh-CN resources. Do not run the EXE from inside the ZIP, move it away from its supporting files, or use a contract-test driver as Manager.

With no saved preference, the interface follows the supported system UI language and falls back to English. The English / 简体中文 selector saves a manual override. Continue with getting started to add a game.

If Windows reports a download or security problem, stop and confirm the package’s source and completeness. SteamWrapper does not require globally disabling Windows protection. A checksum confirms consistency with a particular artifact; it is not a publisher signature or a safety verdict for a third-party game.

Build the preview locally

This is the source-development option, not runtime preparation required from everyone using a downloaded preview.

Use a Windows checkout of branch main. Install PowerShell 7, the .NET SDK selected by global.json, and Rust with an MSVC host using your preferred method. Make pwsh, dotnet and cargo available on PATH; mise is optional. From the repository root:

pwsh -NoProfile -File scripts/windows/Install-BuildTools.ps1
pwsh -NoProfile -File scripts/windows/Invoke-WinUI.ps1 -Action Publish

The setup script uses Microsoft’s installer for the declared MSVC/Windows SDK components and may request UAC permission. If it reports that a restart is required, complete that restart before relying on the environment.

The published directory is:

target\winui\publish\

Open that full directory in File Explorer and run Manager from there. The source project does not require installing the separate alpha WinUI template.

For a disposable configuration preview that does not use your real Steam/user data, use:

pwsh -NoProfile -File scripts/windows/Invoke-WinUI.ps1 -Action Sandbox

The sandbox contains example manifests and isolated user directories. It does not contain your real library or a playable game; profiles created there are not real Steam setup.

See Windows development for authoritative manifests, optional mise aliases and the complete tool list. The Windows build script implements the direct commands. A WinUI-only publish does not require Node, pnpm, Dioxus CLI or just.

Where Manager and Runner keep data

The extracted Manager directory holds application files. Persistent Windows data lives separately:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\SteamWrapper\
  profiles.toml
  ui-settings.json
  bin\SteamWrapperRunner.exe
  logs\
  backups\
  cache\

Location	Purpose
profiles.toml	Game profiles used by Runner
ui-settings.json	Manager language and optional Steam-cover download preferences
bin\SteamWrapperRunner.exe	Stable, independent Runner referenced by Steam
logs	Runner diagnostics and Manager startup diagnostics when available
backups	Configuration backups, not automatic game-save protection
cache\covers	Bounded downloaded-cover cache; clearing it retains Steam/custom art

Game saves may instead be inside the game directory, Windows user folders or Steam storage. Identify and protect them separately.

Update Manager and prepare Runner

Close Manager and let any active game/Runner session exit normally before replacing application files. Extract a newer complete preview into its own directory, then open that Manager through File Explorer.

Saving a profile checks the bundled Runner and prepares the stable copy. The WinUI service preserves a newer compatible Runner and refuses an unknown version or a same-version file with different contents when it cannot establish a safe update. A busy-file or verification failure is reported; it should not be worked around by deleting user configuration.

If Manager says the profile saved but Runner is not ready, see Runner troubleshooting.

Steam Launch Options must continue to reference the stable bin\SteamWrapperRunner.exe, not the extracted package’s Runner directory. Moving a complete Manager directory should not require rewriting each game’s launch options just to point to the new Manager location.

Remove a preview

The WinUI directory preview has no tested new uninstaller. Removing its application directory does not remove the separate stable Runner and configuration.

Before removing stable Runner or its data, restore every Steam Launch Options value that still references it and retain any configuration backups you need. Leaving Steam pointing to a deleted Runner prevents those entries from launching correctly.

For the full setup sequence, continue with getting started.