Self-Service Portal
The Self-Service Portal is a desktop application that lets end users install IT-approved apps on their own devices without raising a support ticket. Admins control which apps are available and can brand the portal with their company name and logo.
How It Works
- An admin enables the Self-Service Portal in Settings and optionally adds company branding.
- The admin creates assignments with the Available (Self-Service) intent to make apps visible.
- The Pckgr agent automatically deploys the portal application to managed devices.
- End users open the portal from the Start Menu, browse available apps, and click Install.
- The agent handles the download and installation in the background, with real-time progress shown in the portal.
The portal communicates with the Pckgr agent service running on the device - it never connects directly to the internet. This means it works reliably even on slow or restricted networks.
Enabling the Portal
- Go to Settings in the sidebar.
- Scroll to the Self-Service Portal card.
- Toggle Enable Self-Service Portal on.
- Optionally enter a Company Name to display in the portal header.
- The portal shows your Company Logo, uploaded under Company Branding in Settings (PNG, max 512 KB). The same logo brands install prompts.
- Click Save Changes.
On the next agent check-in, the portal application is deployed to all managed devices. A shortcut appears in the Start Menu under Pckgr > Self-Service Portal.
Disabling the Portal
Toggle the setting off and save. On the next check-in, the agent automatically:
- Closes the portal if it is running
- Removes the application files
- Removes the Start Menu shortcut
- Removes the Add/Remove Programs entry
All self-service API endpoints also stop accepting requests when disabled, so even if the app were still present it would show no apps.
Making Apps Available
Apps become available in the portal through assignments with the Available (Self-Service) intent.
- Go to Assignments and click Create Assignment.
- Select a group containing the target devices.
- Select the app to make available.
- Set the intent to Available (Self-Service).
- Click Create.
Unlike Install or Uninstall assignments, Available assignments do not create deployment jobs immediately. They simply make the app visible in the portal for devices in that group. The user decides whether to install it.
You can make multiple apps available to the same group, and assign the same app to multiple groups.
End User Experience
Browsing Apps
When a user opens the portal, they see a list of available apps with the app name, publisher, and version. A search bar at the top lets them filter by name or publisher. If no apps have been made available for their device, they see a message: “No apps available.”
Installing an App
Find the app and click Install. A progress bar shows the current stage:
| Stage | Description |
|---|---|
| Queued | Waiting for the agent to pick up the job |
| Downloading | Fetching the application package |
| Preparing | Extracting the installer |
| Installing | Running the installer |
| Finishing up | Post-install verification |
When complete, a green Installed badge appears and the button changes to Uninstall. If the installation fails, a red Failed badge appears with a Retry button.
Uninstalling an App
Click Uninstall on an installed app. The same progress stages apply. When complete, the app returns to the available state with an Install button.
Dependency Handling
If an app has dependencies configured, those prerequisite apps are installed automatically before the requested app. The user does not need to install dependencies manually.
Auto-Updates for Self-Service Apps
When a new version of an app is published and the app has Auto Update enabled:
- Devices with Install or Update Only assignments receive update jobs automatically.
- Devices where a user installed the app via self-service also receive update jobs automatically.
- If Auto Update is disabled on the app, self-service installs are not updated.
Users get the latest version without needing to reinstall from the portal. The update runs silently in the background.
Monitoring Self-Service Deployments
Self-service install and uninstall jobs appear in the Deployments page alongside admin-initiated jobs. You can filter and troubleshoot them the same way.
The portal itself shows the user’s recent jobs (last 24 hours) with status, progress, and error messages.
Requirements
- The Pckgr agent must be installed and enrolled on the device.
- The device must be in a group with at least one Available (Self-Service) assignment.
- The Self-Service Portal must be enabled in tenant Settings.
- WebView2 Runtime must be present on the device (included in Windows 11 and most Windows 10 installations).