Editing .exe

{{Short description|Filename extension}}
{{Redirect|EXE||Exe (disambiguation){{!}}Exe}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023|cs1-dates=y}}
{{Infobox file format
| name          = Windows Executable File
| icon          = File:Windows 11 executable.svg
| screenshot    = 
| extension     = .exe
| mime          = <code>application/vnd.microsoft.portable-executable</code>
| magic         = 0x4d 0x5a
| owner         = [[Microsoft]]
| type          = Executable file
| genre         = [[Executable]] (Binary [[machine code]])
| container_for = [[DOS MZ executable|MZ]], [[New Executable|NE]], LX,  [[Linear Executable|LE]], [[Portable Executable|PE]], PE32+, W3, W4, DL, MP, P2, P3
| website       = 
| open          = No
| url           = 
}}
For [[Microsoft]] [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[OS/2]], and [[DOS]], '''.exe''' is the [[filename extension]] that denotes a file as being [[executable]] {{endash}} a [[computer program]] {{endash}} containing an [[entry point]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fileinfo.com/extension/exe|title=.EXE File Extension|website=FileInfo - The File Extensions Database|publisher=Sharpened Productions|access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref>

In addition to being executable (adjective) such a file is often called an executable (noun) which is sometimes abbreviated as EXE.

== File formats ==

The [[file format]] of an EXE file varies by operating system version.

An operating system cannot use an EXE file unless it is formatted for it. Note that some formats support multiple operating systems.

=== {{anchor|MZ|NE}}DOS ===
;16-bit [[DOS MZ executable]] (MZ): The original DOS executable file format. These formats can be identified by the letters "MZ" at the beginning of the file in ASCII. Later formats may contain an MZ [[DOS stub]] header.<ref name="PE Format" />
;16-bit [[New Executable]] (NE): Introduced with the multitasking [[MS-DOS 4.0 (multitasking)|MS-DOS 4.0]] and also used by 16-bit [[OS/2]] and Windows, NE can be identified by the "NE" in ASCII.

=== OS/2 ===
{{anchor|LX|LE}}
<!-- In addition to the anchors, the OS/2 section title is also linked to from redirects -->
;32-bit Linear Executable (LX): Introduced with OS/2 2.0, these can be identified by the "LX" in ASCII. These can only be run by OS/2 2.0 and higher.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.operating-system.org/betriebssystem/_english/bs-os2.htm|title=OS/2 Operating System|date=3 April 2004|access-date=13 February 2014|work=operating system documentation project}}</ref>
;Mixed 16/32-bit Linear Executable (LE): Introduced with OS/2 2.0, these can be identified by the "LE" in ASCII. {{br}}[[VxD]] drivers on [[Windows 3.1x|Windows 3.x]] and [[Windows 9x]] also use LE format.

=== Windows ===
{{anchor|PE|PE32+}}
;32-bit [[Portable Executable]] (PE): Introduced with [[Windows NT]], they are [[fat binary|fat binaries]] consisting of a DOS-specific and a Windows-specific part. The DOS-specific part (dubbed [[DOS stub]]) is a legitimate 16-bit DOS program. Microsoft C++ linker, by default, uses a minimal DOS stub that prints the following message: "This program cannot be run in DOS mode."<ref name="PE Format" /><ref name="/STUB" /><ref name="DOS Stub" /> Windows ignores the DOS stub and executes the Windows-specific portion that starts with the "PE\0\0" ASCII sequence (letters "PE" and two null bytes).<ref name="PE Format" /> With some linkers, it is possible to specify a custom DOS stub.<ref name="PE Format" /><ref name="/STUB" /><ref name="dosStub.exe" /> Indeed, there are a few dual programs, such as [[Windows Registry|regedit]] in [[Windows 95]]<ref name="regedit in real mode" /> and old versions of [[WinZip|WinZIP]] self extractors.
;64-bit Portable Executable (PE32+): Introduced by 64-bit versions of Windows, this is a PE file with wider fields. In most cases, code can be written to simply work as either a 32 or 64-bit PE file.<ref name="PE32plus" /> This file also includes a DOS stub.<ref name="dosStub.exe" />

=== Other ===
{{anchor|W3|W4|DL|MP|P2|P3}}
There are other EXE formats, including but not limited to ''W3'' (a collection of LE files, only used in WIN386.EXE), ''W4'' (a compressed collection of LE files, only used in VMM32.VXD), ''DL'', ''MP'', ''P2'', ''P3'' (last three used by [[Phar Lap (company)|Phar Lap]] extenders).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ctyme.com/intr/rb-2939.htm#table1593|title=Int 21/AH=4Bh|first=Ralf|last=Brown|website=Ralf Brown's Interrupt List|date=16 July 2000|access-date=30 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519112524/http://www.ctyme.com/intr/rb-2939.htm#table1593|archive-date=19 May 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Comparison of executable file formats]]
* [[Executable compression]]
* [[IExpress]]
* {{Section link|List of file formats|Object code, executable files, shared and dynamically linked libraries}}
* [[CMD file (CP/M)]]
* [[Windows Installer]] files (msi)

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name="PE Format">{{Cite web |url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/debug/pe-format |title=PE Format |website=Windows App Development |publisher=Microsoft |date=25 August 2019}}</ref>
<ref name="/STUB">{{cite web |url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/build/reference/stub-ms-dos-stub-file-name |title=/STUB (MS-DOS Stub File Name) |work=C/C++ Building Reference |edition=Visual Studio 2022 |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |access-date=10 January 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="DOS Stub">{{cite web |url=http://thestarman.pcministry.com/asm/debug/DOSstub.htm |title=DOS Stub Program |website=The Starman's Realm |publisher=[[WP:SPS|Self-published]] |first=Daniel B. |last=Sedory |date=12 October 2004 |access-date=10 January 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="regedit in real mode">{{cite web |url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/131352 |title=Using Registry Editor in Real Mode |work=Support |publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=10 January 2014 |date=15 November 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140115050101/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/131352|archive-date=15 January 2014 |quote=Windows 95 includes a Registry Editor program (Regedit.exe) that runs in both the real-mode MS-DOS environment and in the protected-mode Windows environment. When you need to modify the registry without starting Windows 95, use Registry Editor in real mode. Note that the switches listed in this article only work in real-mode.}}</ref>
<ref name="dosStub.exe">{{cite web|url=http://purl.net/xyzzy/dos/dostub.htm|title=dostub.exe|first=Frank |last=Ellermann|website=Purl.net|date=22 January 2014|access-date=24 January 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="PE32plus">{{Cite journal |url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/bb985992(printer).aspx|title=An In-Depth Look into the Win32 Portable Executable File Format |journal=[[MSDN#Magazine|MSDN Magazine]] |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |date=February 2002 |first=Matt |last=Pietrek |author-link=Matt Pietrek}}</ref>

}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite newsgroup |title=Re: Run a COM file |author-first=Matthias R. |author-last=Paul |date=7 October 2002 |orig-year=2000 |newsgroup=alt.msdos.programmer |url=https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.msdos.programmer/d7blJjY0H5M/Qu3VeTOIGVcJ |access-date=3 September 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170903230312/https://groups.google.com/forum/%23!msg/alt.msdos.programmer/d7blJjY0H5M/Qu3VeTOIGVcJ |archive-date=3 September 2017}} [https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.lang.asm/PNOd9zfYow0/vXbab16j4XwJ Second reply]

== External links ==
* [http://dependencywalker.com/ Dependency Walker]
* [http://www.delorie.com/djgpp/doc/exe/ MZ EXE header format]
* [http://www.pe-explorer.com/ PE Explorer]

{{Executables}}

[[Category:DOS files]]
[[Category:DOS technology]]
[[Category:Executable file formats]]
[[Category:Filename extensions]]
[[Category:Windows administration]]