It is difficult to get the app I want if they have the same / similar names.

Description of the feature / enhancement

When a query matches more than one package, winget install (and upgrade / uninstall / show) prints "Multiple packages found matching input criteria. Please refine the input." and exits. The user then has to re-read the table, copy an exact Id or Name, add --id/--exact, and run the command again.

This is a frequent friction point when package names are subsets or near-duplicates of one another — for example Microsoft.PowerShell vs Microsoft.PowerShell-Preview, a stable vs a pre-release entry, x86 vs x64, or the same package present in more than one source.

Problem

• -e/--exact and --id resolve it but are not discoverable, and even an "exact" query can still return multiple rows (pre-release variants, multiple sources).
• There is no way to pick from the list that was just displayed — the command errors and exits.

Proposed behavior

1. Interactive numbered selection. When multiple packages match, present a numbered list and prompt the user to choose (apt/yay-style):

   Multiple packages matched your query. Select one:
     [1] Windows Terminal          Microsoft.WindowsTerminal
     [2] Windows Terminal Preview  Microsoft.WindowsTerminal.Preview
   

   Honor --disable-interactivity (and non-interactive contexts) by keeping today's refine-and-exit behavior for scripts.
2. Auto-select on an unambiguous exact match. If exactly one candidate exactly matches the provided Id, Name, or Moniker, proceed without prompting.
3. Clearer non-interactive guidance. When interactivity is disabled, the "refine" message should show the precise --id … --exact (and --source when the ambiguity is cross-source) needed to disambiguate.

Scope

Scoped to the UX of choosing among legitimately-multiple matches. Incorrect matching/correlation (the engine selecting the wrong package, or ARP correlation issues) is tracked separately.

Consolidates #419, #1620, #1830.

Related

• #3847
• #840
• #4935
• #1951

Updated with GitHub Copilot.

No files or tests are named. Start by tracing the multiple-match handling used by install, upgrade, uninstall, and show, then inspect the interactive and --disable-interactivity paths. Done means interactive selection, exact-match auto-selection, and precise non-interactive guidance are covered without changing incorrect-match behavior.