what are the executable types on windows/cmd? and what are their priorities?

Question

For example if there are multiple executable files on the path i.e., a.exe, a.bat and user types 'a' (enter), which file will execute?

What other executable formats are supported on Windows?

Thanks for your responses, but these are three different answers - which all look right. Could you all converge on one? — Asad Iqbal, Oct 20 '11 at 16:41
As for the first question ("what are the executable types") and the last question ("What other executable formats"), those outer questions (though not the middle question about priorities) are basically duplicated at the older [SuperUser: On Windows, what filename extensions denote an executable?](http://superuser.com/questions/228680/on-windows-what-filename-extensions-denote-an-executable/1182994#1182994). — TOOGAM, Feb 26 '17 at 16:51

RichieHindle · Accepted Answer · 2011-10-20T16:39:52.140

7

Windows looks at the PATHEXT environment variable to decide which file types are considered executable:

> echo %PATHEXT%
.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.JSE;.WSF;.WSH;.MSC

The first matching file on the path that has one of those extensions will be executed.

You can use the assoc and ftype commands to find out how the file will be executed:

> assoc .msc
.msc=MSCFile

> ftype MSCFile
MSCFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\mmc.exe "%1" %*

(You can use PATHEXT, assoc and ftype to make any file type executable.)

edited Oct 20 '11 at 16:39

answered Oct 20 '11 at 16:34

RichieHindle

Did you forget *.msi ? – Computer User May 13 '14 at 07:23
@ComputerUser: Interesting! I don't have `.msi` in my `PATHEXT` but Windows *does* search the `PATH` for them. Obviously my answer is incomplete, but I don't know what's missing. – RichieHindle May 13 '14 at 07:52

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 20 '11 at 16:34

1

Precedence is: DOSKEY Macro .COM .EXE .BAT

answered Oct 20 '11 at 16:34

Martin Beckett

That answer is for MS-DOS. Windows is different. – RichieHindle Oct 20 '11 at 16:38
Nope; it’s the same for Windows. – Synetech Feb 24 '12 at 06:23
According to the KB article, it only applies to MS-DOS 4.0 to 6.22. – seanf Jan 14 '15 at 04:43

2 Answers2