Windows users get five installers from one DSL: NSIS (the classic Windows installer experience), NSIS Web (downloader stub), MSI for enterprise deployment, MSIX/AppX for the Microsoft Store and modern sideloading, and a Portable mode that needs no installer at all.

TL;DR

Nsis, NsisWeb, Msi, AppX, Portable — pick one or all five.
AppX uses MSIX packaging; with Developer Mode enabled, you can build and sideload locally.
Code signing via .pfx certificate or Azure Artifact Signing.
MSIX bundle (amd64 + arm64) produced by the build-windows-appxbundle CI action.

Install

Comes with the Gradle plugin.

Quickstart

nucleus {
    application {
        nativeDistributions {
            targetFormats(
                TargetFormat.Nsis,
                TargetFormat.Msi,
                TargetFormat.AppX,
                TargetFormat.Portable,
            )

            windows {
                iconFile.set(project.file("icons/app.ico"))
                upgradeUuid = "d24e3b8d-3e9b-4cc7-a5d8-5e2d1f0c9f1b"
                perUserInstall = true
                menuGroup = "My Company"

                signing {
                    enabled = true
                    certificateFile.set(file("certs/certificate.pfx"))
                    certificatePassword = System.getenv("WIN_CSC_KEY_PASSWORD")
                    algorithm = SigningAlgorithm.Sha256
                    timestampServer = "http://timestamp.digicert.com"
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

How it works

NSIS — the everyday installer

Most desktop apps ship NSIS. Nucleus exposes the full electron-builder NSIS surface: one-click vs assisted, per-user vs per-machine, language picker, custom header/sidebar bitmaps, license dialog, and a script / includeScript escape hatch for full custom NSIS sources.

windows {
    nsis {
        oneClick = false
        allowElevation = true
        perMachine = true
        allowToChangeInstallationDirectory = true
        createDesktopShortcut = true
        runAfterFinish = true

        multiLanguageInstaller = true
        installerLanguages = listOf("en_US", "fr_FR", "de_DE", "ja_JP")

        installerHeader.set(project.file("packaging/header.bmp"))
        installerSidebar.set(project.file("packaging/sidebar.bmp"))
        license.set(project.file("LICENSE"))
    }
}

MSI for enterprise

The MSI target is enabled by TargetFormat.Msi. Pin upgradeUuid to a fixed value so Windows correctly matches successor versions during upgrade. Without a stable UUID, every new build looks like a separate product.

AppX / MSIX

AppX targets produce an .appx (or .msixbundle via CI). The Desktop Bridge runs with runFullTrust — so not sandboxed in the Windows sense — but they unlock the Microsoft Store, modern updaters, and clean uninstall.

windows {
    appx {
        // Sideload identity — any CN that matches your signing cert
        identityName = "MyCompany.MyApp"
        publisher = "CN=D541E802-6D30-446A-864E-2E8ABD2DAA5E"
        publisherDisplayName = "My Company"
        applicationId = "MyApp"

        languages = listOf("en-US", "fr-FR")
        backgroundColor = "#001F3F"
        storeLogo.set(project.file("packaging/appx/StoreLogo.png"))
        square44x44Logo.set(project.file("packaging/appx/Square44x44Logo.png"))
        square150x150Logo.set(project.file("packaging/appx/Square150x150Logo.png"))
        wide310x150Logo.set(project.file("packaging/appx/Wide310x150Logo.png"))

        // Store requires MinVersion > 10.0.17134.0
        minVersion = "10.0.17763.0"
        maxVersionTested = "10.0.22621.0"
    }
}

Developer Mode required for local AppX builds

Local AppX builds need Windows Developer Mode enabled (Settings → System → For developers). GitHub-hosted Windows runners already have it on.

Microsoft Store identity

For Microsoft Store submissions, identityName, publisher, and publisherDisplayName must match the values Partner Center assigned to your reservation — the Store rejects mismatches at upload time. publisher is the CN=<GUID> issued by Partner Center, not your local signing certificate's CN.

Portable mode

TargetFormat.Portable produces a single executable that unpacks to a temp directory at launch. No installer UI, no admin, no registry — useful for thumb-drive distribution.

File associations and deep links

Declared at the top level and propagated into every Windows format:

nativeDistributions {
    protocol("MyApp", "myapp")  // myapp://… deep links
    fileAssociation(
        mimeType = "application/x-myapp",
        extension = "myapp",
        description = "MyApp Document",
    )
}

For Windows-specific overrides (custom file icon) use the windows.fileAssociation(...) overload.

Reference

The windows { } block exposes: iconFile, packageName, console, dirChooser, perUserInstall, shortcut, menu, menuGroup, upgradeUuid, msiPackageVersion, exePackageVersion, plus sub-blocks nsis { }, appx { }, signing { }. Full per-property reference: Gradle DSL reference.

Notes

The MSI installer is built by electron-builder's WiX wrapper; for serious enterprise MSI customization (custom dialogs, registry tweaks beyond installation paths), use NSIS instead.
latest.yml (Windows update metadata) is generated for NSIS, MSI, and Portable. AppX is store-managed so it has no auto-update YML.
WindowsJumpListManager.setProcessAppId() is called automatically by nucleusApplication on Windows — taskbar grouping and AUMID-aware notifications work out of the box.

Building for Windows