Windows EXE app deployment stuck in progress in HexnodeSolved

Participant
Discussion
1 day ago Sep 21, 2026

I uploaded a vendor-provided Windows enterprise app as an EXE file and added it to a Windows app management policy as a required app. The policy was pushed to the device, but the installation status in Action History stays at “In Progress” even after refreshing.

The installer normally asks to run as administrator and then prompts for an activation code before the installation completes. I’m not sure what basic configuration or command-line settings should be added in Hexnode for this type of Windows enterprise app deployment. Does Hexnode have a setting to run the installer as administrator?

Replies (1)

Marked SolutionPending Review
Hexnode Expert
22 hours ago Sep 21, 2026
Marked SolutionPending Review

For Windows enterprise app deployment, Hexnode installs applications silently in the background. The installer is executed under the Local System account, which already has administrative privileges on the device. So, there is no separate policy setting required to run the installer as administrator.

If the installation remains stuck at “In Progress”, the most common reason is that the EXE installer is waiting for an interactive prompt that is hidden from the user. This can happen when the installer displays setup screens, asks for confirmation, or requires an activation code during installation.

For EXE installers, you need to provide the correct silent installation arguments in the app configuration. The exact switch depends on how the vendor built the installer. Common examples include:

– MSI packages: /qn or /quiet

– Inno Setup EXE: /VERYSILENT or /SILENT

– NSIS/Nullsoft EXE: /S

– InstallShield EXE: /s /v”/qn”

– Custom EXE installers: /quiet, -s, –silent, or a vendor-specific switch

You can usually find the supported switches in the vendor’s enterprise deployment guide, or by running the installer with /? or –help on a test machine.

If the app also requires an activation code before installation completes, ask the vendor whether the activation code can be passed through the command line. If supported, add the silent install switch and the activation parameter in the app’s command-line arguments field in Hexnode, for example:

/quiet LICENSE_KEY=”<activation_code>”

Use the exact syntax provided by the app vendor.

Regards,

Mary Romero

Save