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I've noticed some zero-bytes executable in folder %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps created during install some applications. What are they? How can I create and call it in the same way as Windows does? Thank you.

GameBarElevatedFT_Alias.exe 0 C:\Users\nguyenc\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps kali.exe 0 C:\Users\nguyenc\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps x410.exe 0 C:\Users\nguyenc\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps Alpine.exe 0 C:\Users\nguyenc\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps archlinux.exe 0 C:\Users\nguyenc\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps MicrosoftEdge.exe 0 C:\Users\nguyenc\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps ubuntu.exe 0 C:\Users\nguyenc\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps wt.exe 0 C:\Users\nguyenc\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps Slack.exe 0 C:\Users\nguyenc\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps python.exe 0 C:\Users\nguyenc\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps python3.exe 0 C:\Users\nguyenc\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps fedoraremix.exe 0 C:\Users\nguyenc\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps

Cuong Nguyen
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    This is a special type of app-execution reparse point that's used to set up the security context for running a UWP app. `CreateProcessW` reparses this internally in order to allow individual users to run a particular app. – Eryk Sun Oct 09 '19 at 16:10
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    To display the raw reparse point buffer for "python.exe", run `fsutil reparsepoint query %localappdata%\Microsoft\WindowsApps\python.exe`. – Eryk Sun Oct 09 '19 at 16:12

1 Answers1

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These are execution aliases for MS Store apps. You can manage it in Settings > Apps > Apps & features > App execution aliases. App execution aliases

thatfellowoveryonder
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    Strange, didn't know this. I had the problem that Windows won't start these apps (from `C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps` after an Windows update. Turning them off and on again in the `App execution aliases` did the trick! – Xairoo May 29 '21 at 07:53
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    Same problem, same solution! Ubuntu executable that worked last week stopped. I had to reboot in between turning the aliases off and on, but now they work. (And File Explorer still shows them as 0-length.) But all good now. Thanks thatfellowoveryonder and @Xairoo – murspieg Aug 16 '22 at 18:23
  • Regarding these "execution alias" things... I'm curious if anyone knows? Why didn't MS just use regular hard links or symbolic links for this stuff? NTFS has them right? (which obviously MS would have implemented into NTFS themselves) Why create some additional non-standard to do exactly the same thing? ...only in a less standard/compatible way. – LaVache May 26 '23 at 10:34