.exe — Windows Executable
Executable application/vnd.microsoft.portable-executable
What a .exe file is
A compiled Windows program in the Portable Executable format.
How to open it
Windows only. On macOS or Linux you need Wine or a virtual machine.
Worth knowing
Never run an .exe from an untrusted source. Check the digital signature in the file properties before you do.
How to identify a .exe file
A file's extension is only its name — renaming a.png to a.exe changes nothing inside. What software actually reads is the magic number, the first few bytes of the file.
| Signature | 4D 5A |
| MIME type | application/vnd.microsoft.portable-executable |
| Category | Executable |
ASCII "MZ" — the initials of Mark Zbikowski, who designed the format in 1981.
# what is this file really?
file mystery.exe
# look at the first bytes yourself
xxd mystery.exe | head -2
head -c 16 mystery.exe | xxd
# Windows PowerShell
Get-Content mystery.exe -AsByteStream -TotalCount 16 | Format-HexFrequently asked questions
What is a .exe file?
A compiled Windows program in the Portable Executable format.
How do I open a .exe file?
Windows only. On macOS or Linux you need Wine or a virtual machine.
Is .exe safe to open?
No — not from an untrusted source. A .exe file is executable code, and opening one runs it. Check the digital signature first, and prefer official distribution channels.
Can I change a file's extension to convert it?
No. Renaming changes the label, not the bytes. The one place it appears to work is between formats that genuinely share a container — renaming .docx to .zip works because a DOCX is a ZIP. Everything else needs a real converter.