What Is an Executable File? Understanding .exe, How Programs Run, and the Basics of Coding
In the previous posts, we have gone through several basic concepts about how computers handle data. We learned what files and directories are, how extensions act as labels that tell us the type of file, how compressed files help us deal with large amounts of data, and how storage devices and drives determine where files are actually recorded. Continuing from this flow, let’s now look at how the programs we use every day actually run, and what an executable file (.exe) really is.
First, let’s recall the process of installing a program. Installing a program is not just about extracting compressed files and throwing them into a random place. During installation, the compressed program files are unpacked and placed into their proper directories. Some of these may be library files like .dll, some may be configuration files like .ini, and others might be icon files like .ico. All of these different file types come together to make up the program.
But when we run a program, we don’t click each of these files one by one. For example, when you launch Photoshop, you don’t double-click its dll or ini files. What you actually double-click is a file with the .exe extension—this is the executable file. This file is like the key that opens the door to the program. When the executable is opened, the commands inside are delivered to the operating system, and the OS then calls in the necessary files so the program can function properly.
In simple terms, the executable file is the “button that makes the program work.” No matter how many support files exist, without the executable the program won’t run. It’s like a car: even if you have fuel, wheels, and an engine, without the ignition key the car won’t start. The exe file plays the role of that ignition key.
Now there’s one more important point to understand. Think about the icons on your desktop. When you launch a program from a desktop icon, what you’re actually clicking is not the real exe file, but a shortcut file. A shortcut is like a signpost that points to the real executable. For instance, Photoshop’s actual executable is usually buried deep inside the Program Files folder on the C Drive. Going there and double-clicking it every time would be inconvenient, so the installation process creates a shortcut on the desktop. That shortcut doesn’t contain the program itself; it just tells the computer, “the Photoshop executable is here.” When you click it, the actual exe file at that location runs.
This difference often confuses beginners. Sometimes they delete a desktop icon and think they’ve deleted the whole program. But the actual program still remains inside the C Drive; only the shortcut is gone. On the other hand, if you uninstall the program from the Control Panel, all the related executables and files are removed, and that’s when the program is truly deleted.
So how are these executable files made? This is where the concept of coding comes in. Coding is the process of writing instructions in a language that computers can understand. The exe file you double-click contains countless instructions. These instructions are the result of source code written in languages like C, Python, or Java being translated into machine code that the computer can execute. In other words, the executable is made up of countless lines of logic and calculation that you don’t see.
Coding is the process of creating these programs. When someone develops software through coding, the final product is an executable like an exe file, which we then install and use. From a beginner’s perspective, an executable file might seem like a “magic box” that opens with a double-click. But inside that box lies all the logic and calculations written by the developer through coding.
In future lessons, we’ll go beyond the idea of executables and take a closer look at coding itself. Up to this point, we’ve organized the foundational concepts—operating systems, files, drives, directories, extensions, compressed files, installation, and executables—to paint a clear picture of “how a computer works.” The next step will be to explain, in an easy way, how we can actually create our own programs through coding.
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