EXE files: what are they and how do I open them?
Are you facing difficulties opening unknown files on your computer, or wondering exactly what this file is?
We've got the information and best software solutions for opening these files effortlessly.
.exe file type #1: Executable program
Files with exe extension has been the standard for primary executable files since the era of MS-DOS and are still used as main executables in Windows.
Further details:
EXE file (short for 'executable') is a type of file that contains a software program - that is, a particular kind of file that is capable of being executed or run as a program in the computer.
These files were originally used in MS-DOS, but nowadays are just common program executables on Windows platform. They come in either 16/32/64-bit version variants.
When a user double-clicks on an EXE file, the operating system runs the program or software contained within that file. This file format is primarily associated with the Windows operating system.
Open file with:
Microsoft Windows
A series of operating systems developed by Microsoft
Microsoft Visual Studio
IDE for creating programs, or websites and web applications
Microsoft Windows 11
Latest version of Windows OS
Microsoft Windows 10
Operating system for deskop, laptop and tablet computers
.exe file type #2: Canvas X slide show
Files with exe extension might also be slide shows exported from Canvas X software. Standalone, self-running app that contains the slideshow.
Further details:
File extension exe is also used for the default slide show export format in Canvas X graphics suite.
Slideshows in can be saved either as the the default .cvx files, or as a self-running application that can only be executed on a Windows platform without the need to have Canvas X installed on the system.
Open file with:
Canvas X
Latest version of Canvas drawing software
.exe file type #3: Compressed file archive that self-extracts
Files with exe extension can also appear as unique self-extracting compressed archives. Essentially, these are archives that include a small executable program that decompresses the archive.
Further details:
EXE file is a type of computer file that runs a program when it is opened. This means it executes a sequence of instructions when you double-click it.
A self-extracting compressed file archive is a type of EXE file that contains one or more files that have been compressed to reduce their size. When you open this type of EXE file, it automatically decompresses the files and installs them on your computer.
This is often used for software installation. Instead of requiring the user to have a separate program to decompress a file archive, the self-extracting archive does it automatically. This makes it easier for users to install software, especially if they are not very tech-savvy.
Open file with:
WinRAR
One of the oldest and most popular shareware file archiver and data compression utility
WinZip
Popular file archiver for Windows
7-zip
Popular open source file archiver with a high compression ratio