ExeFoundry converts a Windows Batch file (.bat) into a single portable Windows executable (.exe). The new implementation is written in Rust, so the converter itself can be released as one standalone binary for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
The generated file is still a Windows .exe, because .bat scripts are Windows scripts. Running the converter on macOS or Linux is useful for packaging Windows utilities from those systems.
The repository ships with a GitHub Pages website in the root index.html.
- Website: https://the-sudipta.github.io/ExeFoundry/
- Playground: https://the-sudipta.github.io/ExeFoundry/#playground
- Releases: https://github.com/the-sudipta/ExeFoundry/releases/latest
The playground helps users pick their platform binary, input BAT, output EXE, icon, and console/GUI mode, then generates the exact command to run.
- Embeds the entire
.batpayload inside the generated.exe. - Embeds ExeFoundry's built-in icon by default, so the generated EXE does not need a separate icon file.
- Optionally embeds your own
.ico,.png, or other supported image instead. - Preserves argument forwarding to the original batch script.
- Supports console output by default, or GUI/no-console mode with
--gui. - Does not require PowerShell,
csc.exe, .NET Framework, or admin rights for normal use.
The old PowerShell/C# scripts are still in scripts/ for reference, but the Rust binary is now the primary tool.
# Windows
.\exefoundry-windows-x64.exe --input ".\scripts\tool.bat" --output ".\Tool.exe"
# With a custom icon embedded into the output EXE instead of the bundled ExeFoundry icon
.\exefoundry-windows-x64.exe --input ".\scripts\tool.bat" --output ".\Tool.exe" --icon ".\scripts\icon\bat_to_exe.ico"
# GUI app, no console window
.\exefoundry-windows-x64.exe --input ".\scripts\tool.bat" --output ".\Tool.exe" --icon ".\scripts\icon\bat_to_exe.ico" --guiOn macOS or Linux, use the matching exefoundry-macos or exefoundry-linux-x64 release binary with the same flags. The output remains a Windows .exe.
Run ExeFoundry without arguments, or pass --interactive, and it will ask for the BAT path, output path, icon path, and console mode.
.\exefoundry-windows-x64.exe --interactive| Option | Description |
|---|---|
-i, --input <BAT> |
Source .bat file to package. |
-o, --output <EXE> |
Output .exe path. Defaults to the input name with .exe. |
--icon <ICO_OR_IMAGE> |
Optional custom icon/image to embed into the output EXE. If omitted, ExeFoundry embeds its bundled icon. |
--gui, --win-exe |
Build the output as a GUI app with no console window. |
--console |
Build the output as a console app. This is the default. |
--interactive |
Prompt for missing values. |
--template <EXE> |
Development escape hatch for using an external Windows runner template. Release binaries already embed this. |
For a local development build, build the Windows runner template first, then build the converter with the template embedded:
cargo build --release --bin exefoundry-runner
$env:EXEFOUNDRY_RUNNER_TEMPLATE = (Resolve-Path ".\target\release\exefoundry-runner.exe").Path
cargo build --release --bin exefoundryYou can also run a development converter without embedding the template:
cargo run --bin exefoundry -- --input ".\scripts\tool.bat" --output ".\Tool.exe" --template ".\target\release\exefoundry-runner.exe"The GitHub workflow builds:
exefoundry-windows-x64.exeexefoundry-linux-x64exefoundry-macos- SHA-256 checksum files for each binary
Every push to main compiles and uploads build artifacts for Windows, Linux, and macOS. Push a tag like v1.1.2 to create a GitHub Release automatically. The crate version in Cargo.toml should be updated to the same version before tagging.
The workflow publishes the root index.html plus logo assets to the gh-pages branch on every push to main. In the repository settings, set GitHub Pages to deploy from the gh-pages branch if it is not already enabled.
- PDF note:
docs/ExeFoundry Portable BAT to EXE Converter for Shareable Windows Utilities.pdf - Citation metadata:
CITATION.cff
MIT