An executable file, or EXE file, is a computer file that contains an encoded sequence of instructions that the system can execute directly when the user clicks the file icon. When a user or other event triggers an executable file, the computer runs the code that the file contains. Executable files contain binary machine code that has been compiled from source code. Most executable files are installed programs, but they can also be used for malicious purposes. Some executable file types can run on any compatible system without requiring the existence of another program. These files are considered to pose a high security risk. They include EXE, BAT, COM, CMD, INF, IPA, OSX, PIF, RUN, and WSH. With Windows, EXE is the file extension for an executable file. All EXE files are executable files, but not all executable files are EXE files. The .exe file extension is short for “executable” and is most commonly used on Windows computers to install or run software applications.