How to Find Silent Install Arguments

One of the key tasks when performing a silent installation is determining the correct silent switches (arguments) for the specific installer. For example:
/silent
/quiet
/verysilent
/S
/qn

So how do you find out which ones to use?

There are a few ways:

  1. Ask the software vendor or developer
  2. Inspect the binary or metadata of the installer
  3. Use a utility to detect them automatically

We will focus on the third method, which is generally the simplest and fastest.

Auto-Detect Silent Install Arguments with Silent Install Builder 6

Silent Install Builder 6 is a great tool that automatically detects the type of installer and recommends the proper silent keys.

It supports a wide range of installers and is refined over more than a decade, so it often does a better job than other tools in its class.

Here’s how to use it:

  1. Download and launch Silent Install Builder 6
     (The free version or trial is good enough for this task.)
  2. Create a new project and add your .exe or .msi file.
    Silent Install Builder 6 exe to msi

  3. The tool automatically detects the installer type and suggests the correct silent arguments.
    • For Inno Setup: /VERYSILENT /NORESTART
    • For NSIS: /S
    • For MSI: /qn /norestart

Why use this approach?

It’s fast, accurate, and saves you from trial-and-error.
No need to hunt through forums or documentation – Silent Install Builder gives you the solution up front.

If you’re dealing with software that doesn’t support silent installs, check out our guide:
“How to Install soft Silently – Even If They Don’t Support It”