What is an exe file?

What is an EXE file?

A file with the EXE extension is an executable file used in operating systems such as Windows, MS-DOS, OpenVMS, and ReactOS to open software programs.

Software installers are often named setup.exe or install.exe , but application files have their own names, often related to the name of the software program. For example, when you download the Firefox web browser, the installer is named Firefox Setup.exe , but once installed, the program opens with the firefox.exe file located in the program's installation folder.

Some EXE files may be self-extracting files that extract their contents to a specific folder when opened, such as to quickly unpack a collection of files or to install a portable program.

EXE files often reference linked DLL files. Compressed EXE files use the EX_ file extension instead.

What does file.exe do on the computer?

Non-system processes like file.exe originate from software you have installed on your computer. Since most applications store data on your hard drive and in the system registry, there is a chance that your computer has become fragmented and has accumulated invalid entries that can affect your PC's performance.

In Windows Task Manager, you can see which EXE process is using up CPU, memory, disk, and network. To access Task Manager , hold down the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys at the same time . These three keys are located on the far left of your keyboard.

File.exe is an executable file on the computer's hard drive. This file contains machine code. If you start the software on your PC, the commands contained in the file.exe will be executed on your PC. For this purpose, the file is loaded into main memory (RAM) and runs there as a process (also known as a task).

Running too many processes on your system can affect your PC's performance. To reduce the load on your system, you can use the Microsoft System Configuration Utility (MSConfig) or Windows Task Manager to find and manually disable processes that run at startup .

Use Windows Resource Monitor to find out which processes and applications are writing/reading the most to your hard drive, sending the most data to the Internet, or using the most memory. To access Resource Monitor, press Windows key + R and type resmon.

EXE files can be dangerous

A lot of malware is transmitted through EXE files, often in the background of a seemingly innocent program. This infection occurs when a program you think is genuine launches and corrupts the code running on your computer without your knowledge. In reality, the program may be genuine but contain a virus or completely fake software with a familiar, harmless name.

So, like other executable file extensions, be careful when opening EXE files that you download from the Internet or receive via email. EXE files are so potentially destructive that most email providers will not allow them to be sent, and some will not even allow you to put the file in a ZIP archive and send it. Always make sure you trust the sender of an EXE file before opening it.

Another thing to remember about EXE files: they are only used to launch an application. So if you downloaded what you thought was a video file, for example, but it had an .EXE file extension, you should delete it immediately. Videos you download from the Internet are usually in MP4 , MKV , or AVI file format , but never EXE. The same rule applies to images, documents, and all other types of files — each of which uses its own set of file extensions.

An important step in minimizing any damage caused by malicious EXE files is to keep your antivirus software active and up to date.

• What is a DXF file?

How to open EXE file

EXE files do not require a program to open because Windows knows how to handle them. However, EXE files sometimes become unusable due to registry errors or virus infections. When this happens, Windows is tricked into using another program, such as Notepad, to open the EXE file, which of course it cannot. Fixing this problem involves restoring the correct registry association with EXE files.

Some EXE files are self-extracting archives. These EXE files may automatically extract to a specific location or even the same folder from which the EXE file was opened. Others may ask you where you want to extract the contents.

If you want to open a self-extracting EXE file without extracting its contents, use a file extractor like 7-Zip, PeaZip, or jZip. For example, if you are using 7-Zip, just right-click on the EXE file and select open with this program to view the EXE file as an archive.

A program like 7-Zip can also create self-extracting archives in EXE format. This can be done by selecting 7z as the archive format and enabling the Create SFX archive option.

How to open EXE files on Mac

Your best bet when you have a program you want to use on your Mac, and it's only available as an installer or EXE program, is to see if there's a regular Mac version of the program.

Assuming the regular version isn't available (which is often the case), another popular option is to run Windows itself from within a macOS computer using an emulator or virtual machine.

These types of programs emulate a Windows PC, allowing them to install Windows EXE-based programs. Some popular Windows emulators include Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion, as well as Apple's Boot Camp.

The free WineBottler program is another way to solve this problem for Windows programs on a Mac. No emulator or virtual machine required with this tool.

How to convert EXE files

EXE files are built with a specific operating system in mind. Compiling a file for use in Windows will create many Windows-only compatible files, so converting an EXE file to a format that makes it usable on another platform, such as Mac, would be a tedious task.

Instead of looking for an EXE converter, look for another version of the software that is available for the operating system you want to use. CCleaner is an example of a program that you can download for Windows as an EXE or on Mac as a DMG file .

How to create EXE package

With EXE Package

Application packaging is made easier with EXE Package. Select the executable file (e.g. setup.exe) from the root. DSM ensures that the executable file and all other files in the folder are packaged. DSM generates the scripts needed to install (or uninstall) and automatically copies the files to the Extern$ folder. Enter the required installation parameters in the wizard dialog.

How to create EXE package:

1. Select the desired software folder in the Software Library.

2. Select the Create an Application Package > EXE Package task and follow the wizard.

3. Enter a package name.

4. Select the executable file, for example, setup.exe file.

If you need additional files for installation, select the option to pack all files in the same folder and in subfolders.

5. Specify execution options in Command line options .

6. Use Timeout (in minutes) to specify the time the setup waits before the system issues a Failed message to the server. Click Continue.

7. Select the Support Uninstallation option if you want to uninstall the app later.

8. Enter the executable file, for example, Uninstall.exe , the required parameters and Timeout for uninstall (in minutes) are also here.

9. Click Continue and finish the packaging process.

Open the package in Packaging Workbench to customize the script, if needed.

Create EXE files quickly with 7-Zip

You've probably used 7-Zip to unpack all kinds of archive files and know that 7-Zip can create archive files, but did you know that you can also use it to create an EXE file that acts as an installer?

It's called an SFX (self-extracting) archive and works by compressing all of your final files together, then embedding a special EXE file inside the archive that knows how to unpack everything.

In other words, the recipient can extract the SFX archive (which appears as an EXE file), even if they don't have the appropriate software, which is possible with formats like 7Z, RAR, TAR, and ZIP.

Here's how to create an SFX archive using 7-Zip:

1. Prepare all your files and folders in a single main directory and name the folder whatever you want.
2. Right click on the folder and select 7-Zip > Add to archive...
3. In Options , enable Create SFX Archive and select the following settings... > Archive Format: 7z> Compression Level: Normal> Compression Method: LZMA2> Dictionary Size: 16 MB> Word Size: 32> Solid Block Size: 2 GB
4. Finally, click OK .

Note that SFX archives are not real installers. They do not place the extracted files in a specified destination folder. They do not modify the Windows Registry. Furthermore, they do not create an installation log and do not show up as installed software in the Uninstall application. They are actually archive files disguised as EXE files.

Create EXE file with IExpress

IExpress is a utility that comes with Windows versions starting with Windows XP and up. It comes with a front-end graphical interface (called the IExpress Wizard), but you can also create installation files using hand-written Self Extraction Directive (SED) files.

Like 7-Zip above, this method creates a self-extracting archive, but with two key differences: One, the end user will proceed through a multi-page installation wizard, and two, the end user can specify a destination folder to where the tool will extract the files.

And here's how you create an installer EXE using IExpress:

1. Open Run ( Windows key + R ) and type iexpress.exe to launch the IExpress Wizard.
2. Select Create new Self Extraction Directive file and click Next .
3. Select Extract files only and click Next .
4. For the package title, your app name is a safe choice.
5. For confirmation prompt, select No prompt or Prompt user with .
6. For the license agreement, select Display a license if you want the end user to agree to the End User License Agreement (EULA). Otherwise, you can select Do not display a license .
7. Add all the files you want to view installed by clicking Add , browsing to the location of the files and selecting them all.
8. Continue through the IExpress Wizard and select your preferred options for the Show Window and Finished Message prompts .
9. For the package name, click Browse , navigate to where you want to create the installer EXE file, and give it a name. This is the EXE file that you will distribute to end users. Click Next .
10. Finally, select Save Self Extraction Directive (SED) file if you want to create a modified installer later, such as if you've patched the software and need an updated installer. If you select Don't save , you'll have to start the entire process over again.
11. On the Create Package page , click Next .

Your package will be created in a few minutes. Note that IExpress has some issues:

• It does not allow including empty directories.
• If your installation has subfolders, those subfolders will not be included.
• If you have multiple files with the same name, even in separate folders, the installer creation process will fail.

Therefore, the article recommends that you use other alternative methods.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to run EXE file in Command Prompt?

Open Command Prompt by typing cmd into the Windows search bar, then type cd path_name. Once you are in the correct folder, run the file by typing start file_name.exe.

Where is the Minecraft EXE file located?

For the Java version of Minecraft, check the location where you downloaded the game. If you can't find it, use the AppData folder on Windows. To find the EXE file on macOS, open a Finder window and type ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft.

Is an .exe file a virus?

An .exe file can be a virus, but not all of them are. In fact, most .exe files are safe to use or even necessary for Windows to run. It all depends on what is in the .exe file. Essentially, .exe files are programs that have been translated into machine code (i.e. compiled). So whether or not an .exe file is malicious depends on the code that goes into it.

Most common .exe files will follow the Portable Executable (PE) file format. The name "Portable Executable" refers to the fact that it is a format, rather than a specific architecture, meaning that they can be used on 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the Windows operating system. In this standard format, the actual code can be found in the .text section(s) of the executable file.

Can .exe files run automatically?

Any executable file needs a trigger to run, which can be a user double-clicking the file, but can also be done from the Windows Registry, for example when Windows starts. So an .exe file can run itself by making a copy in a certain location and then pointing the startup registry key to that location. Or by dropping a copy or shortcut into the Startup folder , since all files in that folder will run when Windows starts.

But there are other factors. For example, there are Autoplay and Autorun options in Windows that execute when, say, a USB device is connected. Malware can be hidden in the firmware of devices that execute after the device is connected, etc. That’s all the more reason to not trust a USB you find in a parking lot or one that’s given away as a gift. You don’t want to be responsible for the next cyber incident in your organization, right?

Above is some basic information about EXE files - one of the most popular file formats today - that Quantrimang.com wants to share with readers!

Hope you find this article helpful!