As long as you only run software from sources you trust, executable files should be relatively safe. For most Windows 10 users, however, EXE files are there to be run, not made.

There’s nothing stopping you creating your own software, especially if you combine it with Windows installer packages to make it easy to install. You can confirm how well popular software will run using WINE by checking the WineHQ database. Designed to emulate certain Windows instructions and libraries, using WINE to run an EXE file will have varying levels of success. You can also use the WINE emulator for Linux and macOS to run and install Windows EXE files on those platforms. If you developed a Python script, for instance, you could use the chmod +x command to run it. You’ll need to allow it in your System Preferences > Security & Privacy menu.Īs a Unix-based system, however, macOS does support the chmod command, allowing you to execute more basic scripts using the Terminal app. If the app hasn’t been installed from the App Store, and it isn’t from a developer it knows or trusts, then the app won’t be allowed to run. MacOS has a slightly different method for running software.

The command chmod +x file would give a file named file the execute permission to run, for instance. On Linux, for instance, any file can be executable, but it requires a special file permissions flag to run it as a program using chmod. These platforms do have executable files, but they aren’t in the EXE file format. The way executable files work on Windows is entirely different to the way that programs run on other platforms, like Linux or macOS. Otherwise, if you want to create a “real” executable file, you’ll need to learn how to program. While this isn’t a true EXE file, it looks and acts like one, making it an easy way to create an executable file that can distribute software or files you’ve created with others.

Executable file extension