Windows - Software - Install Brackets (32-Bit)

What the Brackets 32-bit deployer does

This Automox Worklet™ deploys the 32-bit build of Brackets to Windows endpoints. Brackets is an open-source HTML, CSS, and JavaScript editor originally released by Adobe and aimed at front-end developers. The 32-bit installer is the variant required on legacy x86 Windows hosts and is also a common choice on 64-bit endpoints that already depend on 32-bit Brackets extensions.

The evaluation script inspects the Windows uninstall registry to determine whether Brackets is already installed. It opens the 64-bit hive at HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall on 64-bit operating systems and the WoW6432 hive at HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for 32-bit installs running on 64-bit hosts. On a true 32-bit Windows host, it inspects HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall instead. Any DisplayName matching "Brackets" exits the evaluation with code 0 and no remediation runs.

When the application is missing, the remediation phase downloads Brackets_32.exe from the Automox cache endpoint at api.automox.com/api/cache (the cmd=downloadLatestVersion query targets the latest 32-bit Windows build) into the script working directory, executes the installer with the silent argument list /exenoui /qn, and waits for the process to complete. The Worklet then re-runs the same dual-hive registry check and exits 0 on confirmed install or 1 if the installer ran but no DisplayName entry appears.

One caveat: Adobe ended active development of Brackets in September 2021 and shifted users toward Visual Studio Code. The installer still works and the editor still runs, but the project no longer receives security patches. Use this Worklet for teams with an existing Brackets dependency, an extension lock-in, or a documented exemption – not as a default editor recommendation for new endpoints.

Why deploy Brackets to developer endpoints from Automox

Front-end teams that still rely on Brackets face a tooling gap. The editor is often missing from the standard MDM software catalog, the official installer downloads are intermittent now that the project is in maintenance mode, and developers source whatever build they can find. The result is fragmented versions across laptops, manual reinstalls after every refresh, and onboarding tickets that sit in the helpdesk queue. A 32-bit build adds another wrinkle when legacy plugins or workflows pin a developer to the x86 line.

Schedule this Worklet against your developer endpoint group and Brackets lands silently during the next agent check-in. The Windows registry is the single source of truth for which endpoints are compliant.

How Brackets deployment works

1. Evaluation phase: The Worklet calls [System.Environment]::Is64BitOperatingSystem to branch on architecture. On a 64-bit host it walks every subkey under HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall and the WoW6432 mirror at HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall. On a 32-bit host it walks HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall. Any subkey whose DisplayName matches the regex "Brackets" returns exit code 0 and skips remediation; otherwise the evaluation writes "Brackets was not found. Flagging for remediation." and exits 1.

2. Remediation phase: The script resolves $scriptDir from Split-Path of MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path, then uses (New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadFile to fetch Brackets_32.exe from the Automox cache to that directory. Start-Process runs the installer with -ArgumentList /exenoui /qn -Wait so the agent blocks until install finishes. The BracketsCheck function re-runs the dual-hive scan; a hit prints "Brackets installed successfully." and exits 0, a miss or an exception in the download/install block prints "Brackets installation failed." and exits 1.

Brackets 32-bit deployment requirements

• Windows 7 SP1 or later, workstation or server, 32-bit or 64-bit architecture

• Automox agent running with SYSTEM privileges (the default agent context); SYSTEM is required to write the Brackets install directory under C:\Program Files (x86)\Brackets and to read the HKLM uninstall hives

• Outbound HTTPS reachability from the endpoint to api.automox.com so System.Net.WebClient can fetch Brackets_32.exe from the Automox cache

• Roughly 150–200 MB of free disk space on the system drive for the installer payload and the unpacked application

• PowerShell 5.1 or later; the script relies on Get-ChildItem, Get-ItemProperty, Start-Process, and [Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey] APIs

• FixNow compatible – the Worklet can be triggered on-demand against a single endpoint or device group from the Automox console without scheduling a full policy run

Expected endpoint state after Brackets deployment

After a successful remediation, Brackets is installed under C:\Program Files (x86)\Brackets on 64-bit Windows or C:\Program Files\Brackets on 32-bit Windows. A DisplayName entry of "Brackets" appears in the appropriate uninstall hive, the application is visible in Control Panel under Programs and Features, and a Start Menu shortcut launches the editor for any signed-in user. The activity log for the remediation run shows the message "Brackets installed successfully." and exit code 0.

Validate from a console session with Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Where-Object DisplayName -match Brackets | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion, InstallLocation – the entry should show the bundled version and an InstallLocation under Program Files (x86). On subsequent agent check-ins the evaluation phase will return exit code 0 without re-downloading, confirming idempotent behavior. If a future remediation needs to push a newer build, pair this Worklet with an uninstall Worklet on the same endpoint first so the existing DisplayName clears before the install runs.