Editing Portable Executable (section)

{{short description|File format}}
{{distinguish|Portable application|Windows Preinstallation Environment}}
{{Infobox file format
| name = Portable Executable
| icon = 
| extension = <code>.acm</code>, <code>.ax</code>, <code>.cpl</code>, <code>.dll</code>, <code>.drv</code>, <code>.efi</code>, <code>[[.exe]]</code>, <code>.mui</code>, <code>.ocx</code>, <code>.scr</code>, <code>.sys</code>, <code>.tsp</code>, <code>.mun</code>, <code>.msstyles</code>
| mime = application/vnd.microsoft.portable-executable<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/application/vnd.microsoft.portable-executable|title=application/vnd.microsoft.portable-executable|access-date=2017-03-26|last=Andersson|first=Henrik|date=2015-04-23|publisher=IANA}}</ref>
| owner = Currently: [[Microsoft]]
| genre = [[Binary file|Binary]], [[executable]], [[object code|object]], [[shared libraries]]
| extendedfrom = [[DOS MZ executable]]<br />[[COFF]]
| containerfor = 
| containedby = 
|= 
}}
The '''Portable Executable''' ('''PE''') format is a [[file format]] for [[executable]]s, [[object file|object code]], [[Dynamic-link library|dynamic-link-libraries]] (DLLs), and binary files used on 32-bit and 64-bit [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] [[operating system]]s, as well as in [[UEFI]] environments.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Portable executable (PE) - Definition - Trend Micro IN |url=https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/in/security/definition/portable-executable-pe |access-date=2022-11-10 |website=www.trendmicro.com}}</ref> It is the standard format for executables on Windows NT-based systems, including files such as <code>.exe</code>, <code>.dll</code>, <code>.sys</code> (for system drivers), and <code>.mui</code>. At its core, the PE format is a structured data container that gives the Windows operating system loader everything it needs to properly manage the [[Executable|executable code]] it contains. This includes references for [[Library (computer science)#Dynamic linking|dynamically linked libraries]], tables for importing and exporting [[Application programming interface|APIs]], resource management data and [[thread-local storage]] (TLS) information.

According to the [[Unified Extensible Firmware Interface|Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)]] specification, the PE format is also the accepted standard for executables in EFI environments.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://uefi.org/sites/default/files/resources/UEFI%20Spec%202.8B%20May%202020.pdf |title=UEFI Specification, version 2.8B}}, a note on p.15, states that "this image type is chosen to enable UEFI images to contain Thumb and Thumb2 instructions while defining the EFI interfaces themselves to be in ARM mode."</ref> On Windows NT systems, it currently supports a range of [[Instruction set architecture|instruction sets]], including [[IA-32]], [[x86-64]] (AMD64/Intel 64), [[IA-64]], [[ARM architecture|ARM]] and [[ARM64]]. Before the advent of [[Windows 2000]], Windows NT (and by extension the PE format) also supported [[MIPS architecture|MIPS]], [[DEC Alpha|Alpha]], and [[PowerPC]] architectures. Moreover, thanks to its use in [[Windows CE]], PE has maintained compatibility with several MIPS, [[ARM architecture|ARM]] (including [[ARM architecture#Thumb|Thumb]]), and [[SuperH]] variants.<ref name="PE Format (Windows)">{{cite web|url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms680547(v=vs.85).aspx|title=PE Format (Windows)| access-date=2017-10-21}}</ref>

Functionally, the PE format is similar to other platform-specific executable formats, such as the [[Executable and Linkable Format|ELF]] format used in [[Linux]] and most [[Unix-like|Unix-like systems]], and the [[Mach-O]] format found in [[macOS]] and [[iOS]].