Setup and Administration
Cradle installation for IT Administrators
If you're needing to roll out/install Cradle from an IT admin perspective for a whole organisation, this is a good place to start.
.appx
For Windows users, Cradle is supplied in the form of an appx bundle. This is the file format that Microsoft provide on the MS Windows Store.
If you're trying to script the installation or install it on Windows Server 2016, you can download the signed app package for your platform below.
Architecture
x64 - Download
arm64 (e.g. Surface X) - Download
The current version available at these links is 3.9.7, released on 18 July 2025.
The full change log can be found here.
Installation Options
You can install the appx bundle in several ways. We will give high-level advice here, but we recommend that you install the app according to your own practices and policies.
Please note that any previous versions prior to the MS Store version must be uninstalled from the PC before installing this version. The Cradle directory in the AppData folder should also be removed.
UI Installation
You can simply download the app from the link above and double-click the downloaded file to install the appx. This requires Windows 10 or 11 (and won't work unless the MS Store is available)
Installing with Powershell
You can install the app using the Add-AppxPackage command in PowerShell. We'd suggest reading through the MS documentation to find the most appropriate method of installation for your business.
PS C:\> Add-AppxPackage -Path "C:\path\to\Cradle.appx"If you need to script the uninstallation of the appx, you can use the following PowerShell command.
PS C:\> Get-AppxPackage CradleLimited.CradleDesktop | Remove-AppxPackageOther installation options
We no longer support installations via either .msi or .exe, other than with our standard exe installer available on the Install Cradle Desktop page.