Hide Command Window of .BAT file that Executes Another .EXE File

Question

This is a batch file in Windows.

Here is my .bat file

@echo off
copy "C:\Remoting.config-Training" "C:\Remoting.config"

"C:\ThirdParty.exe"

This works fine except the .bat file leaves the command window open the whole time the "ThirdParty" application is running.
I need the command window to close.

I would use the short-cut for the application but I must be able to run this copy command first (it actually changes which data base and server to use for the application).

The ThirdParty application does not allow the user to change the source of the db or the application server.

We're doing this to allow users to change from a test environment to the production environment.

Cathiecathleen

Just found this and I think, it's really handy to hide a console window on call: raymond.cc/blog/… – Barnhill

Answer 1

Using start works for me:

@echo off
copy "C:\Remoting.config-Training" "C:\Remoting.config"
start C:\ThirdParty.exe

EDIT: Ok, looking more closely, start seems to interpret the first parameter as the new window title if quoted. So, if you need to quote the path to your ThirdParty.exe you must supply a title string as well.

Examples:

:: Title not needed:
start C:\ThirdParty.exe

:: Title needed
start "Third Party App" "C:\Program Files\Vendor\ThirdParty.exe"

Beacham

Now the Thirdparty app doesn't start and my command window stays open. – Cathiecathleen

Yes, you're right. When I used this I did not quote the path to my application. Please have a look at my revised answer. – Beacham

Thanks to Patrick Cuff for improving my answer. I'm still new to SO and did not realize until now that enough reputation would allow you to edit other people's posts... – Beacham

Answer 2

Create a .vbs file with this code:

CreateObject("Wscript.Shell").Run "your_batch.bat",0,True

This .vbs will run your_batch.bat hidden.

Works fine for me.

Transfinite

For me it needed to start with WScript.CreateObject, and if you want to pass an argument through use: `WScript.CreateObject("Wscript.Shell").Run "your_batch.bat """ & WScript.Arguments.Item(0) & """",0,True – Millenary

Answer 3

Using start works fine, unless you are using a scripting language. Fortunately, there's a way out for Python - just use pythonw.exe instead of python.exe:

:: Title not needed:
start pythonw.exe application.py

In case you need quotes, do this:

:: Title needed
start "Great Python App" pythonw.exe "C:\Program Files\Vendor\App\application.py"

Argufy

Answer 4

Try this:

@echo off 
copy "C:\Remoting.config-Training" "C:\Remoting.config"
start C:\ThirdParty.exe
exit

Klusek

Don't use the quotes around C:\ThirdParty.exe and this will work perfectly. – Mccord

This worked for me. Without the exit command the terminal stayed aliva – Watkin

Answer 5

Great tip. It works with batch files that are running a java program also.

start javaw -classpath "%CP%" main.Main

Generality

This worked excellent for me however all I had to do was save start javaw mainClass into my .bat file and it was great! – Sessions

Answer 6

You might be interested in trying my silentbatch program, which will run a .bat/.cmd script, suppress creation of the Command Prompt window entirely (so you won't see it appear and then disappear), and optionally log the output to a specified file.

Wessel

Implemented similar solution. Looks like this question is good place to post it as additional answer. Cheers – Odontoid

Answer 7

Or you can use:

Start /d "the directory of the executable" /b "the name of the executable" "parameters of the executable" %1

If %1 is a file then it is passed to your executable. For example in notepad.exe foo.txt %1 is "foo.txt".

The /b parameter of the start command does this:

Starts an application without opening a new Command Prompt window. CTRL+C handling is ignored unless the application enables CTRL+C processing. Use CTRL+BREAK to interrupt the application.

Which is exactly what we want.

Recognizance

This is the best answer! – Miskolc

The /b parameter is a great addition to the accepted answer. – Cathiecathleen

Answer 8

I haven't really found a good way to do that natively, so I just use a utility called hstart which does it for me. If there's a neater way to do it, that would be nice.

Diaz

HSTART is an excellent utility for replacement of the CMD window, plus it's meant to work with PowerShell and Ruby – Itemized

Answer 9

You can create a VBS script that will force the window to be hidden.

Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
obj = WshShell.Run("""C:\Program Files (x86)\McKesson\HRS
Distributed\SwE.bat""", 0)
set WshShell = Nothing

Then, rather than executing the batch file, execute the script.

Bendicty

Answer 10

Using Windows API we can start new process, a console application, and hide its "black" window. This can be done at process creation and avoid showing "black" window at all.

In CreateProcess function the dwCreationFlags parameter can have CREATE_NO_WINDOW flag:

The process is a console application that is being run
without a console window. Therefore, the console handle
for the application is not set. This flag is ignored if
the application is not a console application

Here is a link to hide-win32-console-window executable using this method and source code.

hide-win32-console-window is similar to Jamesdlin's silentbatch program.

There is open question: what to do with program's output when its window does not exist? What if exceptions happen? Not a good solution to throw away the output. hide-win32-console-window uses anonymous pipes to redirect program's output to file created in current directory.

Usage

batchscript_starter.exe full/path/to/application [arguments to pass on]

Example running python script

batchscript_starter.exe c:\Python27\python.exe -c "import time; print('prog start'); time.sleep(3.0); print('prog end');"

The output file is created in working directory named python.2019-05-13-13-32-39.log with output from the python command:

prog start
prog end

Example running command

batchscript_starter.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe /C dir .

The output file is created in working directory named cmd.2019-05-13-13-37-28.log with output from CMD:

 Volume in drive Z is Storage
 Volume Serial Number is XXXX-YYYY

 Directory of hide_console_project\hide-win32-console-window

2019-05-13  13:37    <DIR>          .
2019-05-13  13:37    <DIR>          ..
2019-05-13  04:41            17,274 batchscript_starter.cpp
2018-04-10  01:08            46,227 batchscript_starter.ico
2019-05-12  11:27             7,042 batchscript_starter.rc
2019-05-12  11:27             1,451 batchscript_starter.sln
2019-05-12  21:51             8,943 batchscript_starter.vcxproj
2019-05-12  21:51             1,664 batchscript_starter.vcxproj.filters
2019-05-13  03:38             1,736 batchscript_starter.vcxproj.user
2019-05-13  13:37                 0 cmd.2019-05-13-13-37-28.log
2019-05-13  04:34             1,518 LICENSE
2019-05-13  13:32                22 python.2019-05-13-13-32-39.log
2019-05-13  04:55                82 README.md
2019-05-13  04:44             1,562 Resource.h
2018-04-10  01:08            46,227 small.ico
2019-05-13  04:44               630 targetver.h
2019-05-13  04:57    <DIR>          x64
              14 File(s)        134,378 bytes
               3 Dir(s)  ???,???,692,992 bytes free

Example shortcut for running .bat script

Target field:

C:\batchscript_starter.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe /C C:\start_wiki.bat

Directory specified in Start in field will hold output files.

Odontoid

Answer 11

run it under a different user. assuming this is a windows box, create a user account for scheduled tasks. run it as that user. The command prompt will only show for the user currently logged in.

Kennel

Answer 12

Compile the batch file to an executable using Batch2Exe http://www.f2ko.de/programs.php?lang=en&pid=b2e. Use the "Invisible Window" option.

Ingaingaberg

There wasn't enough information about this app to make me feel comfortable in trying it. FAQ. Demo, something more than a screen-shot of one tab. – Cathiecathleen

Softpedia seems to have a good opinion about it: Bat To Exe Converter 1.6.0 - SOFTPEDIA "100% CLEAN" AWARD. Here is an alternative download link: softpedia.com/get/System/File-Management/… – Ludwigg

I used it. It worked on my one computer, but i moved the exe files to another and they don't work on it. – Roxane

Answer 13

To make the command window of a .bat file that executes a .exe file exit out as fast as possible, use the line @start before the file you're trying to execute. Here is an example:

(insert other code here)
@start executable.exe
(insert other code here)

You don't have to use other code with @start executable.exe.

Panier

Answer 14

I used this to start a cmd file from C#:

Process proc = new Process();
proc.StartInfo.WorkingDirectory = "myWorkingDirectory";
proc.StartInfo.FileName = "myFileName.cmd";
proc.StartInfo.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden;
proc.Start();
proc.WaitForExit();

Kendakendal

Answer 15

Please use this one, the above does not work. I have tested in Window server 2003.

@echo off 
copy "C:\Remoting.config-Training" "C:\Remoting.config"
Start /I "" "C:\ThirdParty.exe"
exit

Technicolor

What error did you get indicating the 'above' does not work? Maybe it is because you are using Windows Server? – Cathiecathleen

Answer 16

Adding /min to the start command hides the window completely for me on my Windows 11 home edition

start /min C:\jdk1.8.0_221\bin\java -jar app.jar

Decry

Answer 17

Put it on the first line of your cmd script:

%1 start "" mshta vbscript:createobject("wscript.shell").run("""%~s0"" ::",0)(window.close)&&exit

Foxhound

Answer 18

So below vbscript will launch the cmd/bat file in hidden mode.

strPath = Wscript.ScriptFullName
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set objFile = objFSO.GetFile(strPath)
strFolder = objFSO.GetParentFolderName(objFile)

'MsgBox(strFolder)

Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell") 
WshShell.Run chr(34) & strFolder & "\a.bat" & Chr(34), 0
Set WshShell = Nothing

Now, only app window will be visible, not the cmd.exe window

Streeter

Answer 19

This is an easy work around for those who are fine with a dirty solution. Press win+tab, drag and drop the bat file to a new desktop and forget about it.

I occasionally will make a bat file that I'll rarely use, and it is kind of a drag to have to use tools to make the window hidden. This is no more complicated than it needs to be for me.

Bacchius