How can I deploy the ClickUp desktop app via Intune in such a way that it auto-updates itself?

Question

Hi Microsoft Intune team,

We have recently decided to use ClickUp in our organisation. They offer a desktop application that I want to deploy via Intune. The .exe file available on their website is a stub installer that relies on the Microsoft Store. However, the Microsoft Store is blocked for all our staff members. I cannot use a stub .exe file on Intune. Here's the link for the clickUp desktop app for windows https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/xpfmmjnl4wbkmp?hl=en-GB&gl=AU

From what I understand, installing ClickUp from the website installs it in the user context (AppData), which avoids the need for admin rights and anyone can install it. Also if there is an update, it prompts the user to update the app, which is not ideal in an organisational environment.

I reached out to ClickUp support, and they provided me with the MSI file. I deployed it via Intune as a Line-of-Business (LOB) app in the device (system) context, and the installation works fine.

The main issue now is with updates. When I initially contacted ClickUp support, they mentioned that the MSI does not auto-update. However, they later clarified the following:

"I have actually checked with our Engineers and was able to confirm that installation via MSI has auto-updates enabled. So there are no necessary extra steps to take to perform app updates on your end. I would just want to share some important info with regard to update permission: If the app is installed to C:\Program Files\ (machine-wide installation), admin rights are required to update, as our updater needs write permissions to modify the app files. If the app is installed to C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\ (per-user installation), no admin rights are needed because the user has write access to their own AppData folder. I hope this information helps!"

Given that I deployed the MSI in the system context and it installs to Program Files, how can I manage updates to ClickUp in this scenario? If an admin prompt is required to update the app, how can I handle this without providing admin access to staff devices? Would I need to deploy a PowerShell script to manage updates?

Answer 1

You can deploy any Store App via Intune, by adding a new App from Store with using of Intune Console. This method might have better chance of auto updating itself, rather than MSI.