How to Silently Install Atom

Get a reliable rollout and predictable detection for Atom with a practical silent-install approach built for IT admins. This guide focuses on deploying the GitHub, Inc. editor in user context without requiring admin rights, while helping you standardize packaging, validation, and post-install checks. You’ll use the verified silent install command and a confirmed detection method so Atom can be deployed consistently through Intune, SCCM, or PDQ with fewer surprises during testing and production.

GitHub.Atom.1.60.0.X64.exe /silent /norestart

Overview

Silent install steps

Run any one of the methods below to install Atom silently with zero user interaction. Command Prompt and PowerShell produce the same result — use whichever fits your deployment workflow.

Method 1: Install with Command Prompt

1. Download or stage the installer (GitHub.Atom.1.60.0.X64.exe) to a local folder, for example C:\Installers.

2. Open Command Prompt — press Start (or the Windows key), type cmd and press Enter.

3. Switch to the installer folder, then run the silent install command:

GitHub.Atom.1.60.0.X64.exe /silent /norestart

C:\> cd /d "C:\Installers"C:\Installers> GitHub.Atom.1.60.0.X64.exe /silent /norestartInstalling Atom 1.60.0…100%Installation complete — exit code 0.C:\Installers> ▋

Method 2: Install with PowerShell

Run the same silent install through PowerShell.

1. Download or stage the installer (GitHub.Atom.1.60.0.X64.exe) to a local folder, for example C:\Installers.

2. Open PowerShell — press Start (or the Windows key), type powershell and press Enter.

3. Run the command:

Start-Process -FilePath GitHub.Atom.1.60.0.X64.exe -ArgumentList '/silent /norestart' -Wait

PS C:\> Set-Location 'C:\Installers'PS C:\Installers> Start-Process -FilePath GitHub.Atom.1.60.0.X64.exe -ArgumentList '/silent /norestart' -WaitInstalling Atom 1.60.0…100%Installation complete — exit code 0.PS C:\Installers> ▋

Deployment Notes

Key facts to confirm before rolling this out to production machines — permissions required, scope of install, and reboot behavior.

Detection Rules

Configure your deployment tool with the detection rule below to confirm a successful install of Atom. The same rule work for Microsoft Intune, SCCM, PDQ Deploy, and most RMM platforms — just paste the values into the matching fields.

Registry detection

PowerShell detection script

Prefer a script-based check? Use this as a custom detection script in Microsoft Intune (or any tool that supports detection scripts). It exits 0 when Atom is detected and 1 otherwise.

$Key = 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\atom'
$Value = (Get-ItemProperty -Path $Key -Name 'DisplayVersion' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).'DisplayVersion'
if ($Value -eq '1.60.0') { exit 0 }
exit 1

Silent Uninstall Steps

Remove Atom silently from one machine or your entire fleet. The commands below uninstall without prompts and suppress automatic reboots so you control the timing.

Method 1: Uninstall with Command Prompt

Run the uninstall command from an elevated Command Prompt.

1. Open Command Prompt.
2. Run the silent uninstall command.

Update.exe --uninstall -s

Method 2: Uninstall with PowerShell

Run the same silent uninstall command through PowerShell.

1. Open PowerShell.
2. Run the silent uninstall command.

Start-Process -FilePath Update.exe -ArgumentList '--uninstall -s' -Wait

Deployment Examples

Drop one of the snippets below into your deployment tool, Group Policy, or scheduled task. Each script wraps the silent install command for Atom as a batch file or PowerShell script — copy, save, and run.

Batch file example

Save the following content as install-atom.bat in the same folder as the installer.

@echo off
cd /d "%~dp0"
GitHub.Atom.1.60.0.X64.exe /silent /norestart
exit /b %errorlevel%

PowerShell script example

Save the following content as install-atom.ps1 in the same folder as the installer.

Set-Location -Path $PSScriptRoot
$Installer = 'GitHub.Atom.1.60.0.X64.exe'
& $Installer /silent /norestart
exit $LASTEXITCODE

Frequently asked questions

Troubleshooting

If the install fails, exits with a non-zero code, or leaves no trace on the target machine, work through the checks below. Most issues come down to permissions, paths, or exit code handling.