Run a batch file in a completely hidden way

Question

I'm looking for some way to run a batch file (.bat) without anything visible to the user (no window, no taskbar name, .etc..).

I don't want to use some program to do that, I'm looking for something cleaner. I've found a solution that uses VBScript, but I don't really like using VBS, either.

Answer 1

Solution 1:

Save this one line of text as file invisible.vbs:

CreateObject("Wscript.Shell").Run """" & WScript.Arguments(0) & """", 0, False

To run any program or batch file invisibly, use it like this:

wscript.exe "C:\Wherever\invisible.vbs" "C:\Some Other Place\MyBatchFile.bat"

To also be able to pass-on/relay a list of arguments use only two double quotes

CreateObject("Wscript.Shell").Run "" & WScript.Arguments(0) & "", 0, False

Example: Invisible.vbs "Kill.vbs ME.exe"

Solution 2:

Use a command line tool to silently launch a process : Quiet, hidecon or hideexec.

Answer 2

To Hide batch files or command files or any files.... Use Windows XP built in IExpress.exe utility to build a .EXE out of the batch file. When using IExpress make sure you check the run hidden option and check mark all the boxes about not showing anything. After you create your .exe place it in whatever run command folder you choose and you will never see it come up.

Answer 3

If your Batch File can fit into one line and so many characters, then just use a Shortcut by right clicking inside a folder put in a random directory, and skip through the rest of the wizard, and lastly right click on the shortcut just created and click properties and under target, input what you would usually put in a bat file. And Bobs your uncle!

Pros:

 No Command Window
 Ability to use an icon
 Same Functionality of bat file

Cons:

 Limited to one line, so many characters

Answer 4

use Cmdow is a Win32 commandline utility for NT4/2000/XP/2003 that allows windows to be listed, moved, resized, renamed, hidden/unhidden, disabled/enabled, minimized, maximized, restored, activated/inactivated, closed, killed and more.

Run a batch file hidden passing it parameters:-

cmdow /run /hid mybat arg1 "arg 2"

Answer 5

Run the script via an at job without making it interactive:

at 11:00 script.bat

---

Another solution, if you don't mind installing something like Python, you could simply create a script and run it with pythonw (the linked version for GUI operations). Since you aren't using any graphical APIs, the window will not show. Simply use calls to os.system() and it will mimic a batch script, as it is the same as typing the strings into the command line.

Example:

import os

os.system("tasklist > C:\tasks.txt")
os.system("ipconfig /all > C:\netinfo.log")

Answer 6

You can run it minimized easily.

start /MIN batch.cmd

Answer 7

I don't like VBScript solution.

Download and copy nircmd.exe to your %systemroot%\system32 folder, then add this command to first line of your batch:

nircmd.exe win hide ititle "cmd.exe"

or make your batch title custom first with title command to avoid from hiding all cmd windows, like this:

title MyBatch
nircmd.exe win hide ititle "MyBatch"

Answer 8

Using Windows7, you can use the "Scheduled Task" control panel to schedule a batch file to run in the background invisibly with specified permissions and even as the "SYSTEM" account. See screenshot below:

Furthermore, although with not as many capabilities, you can also create a invisible batch script task like this from the command line using the "AT.exe" command without the '/interactive' option.

Answer 9

The excellent Bat To Exe Converter will convert your .bat or .cmd file to an .exe file.

It has a simple UI. You can choose not to have a console window by selecting an Exe Format of XX Bit | Windows (Invisible) option. Also, it allows you to assign an icon, set a password and several other options.

Answer 10

You can also create an AutoHotkey script:

#NoTrayIcon ; To prevent momentary icon pop-up
run whatever.bat arg1 arg2,,hide 

Answer 11

YET ANOTHER way, from C/C++, is to use the CreateProcess function with the CREATE_NO_WINDOW flag. It has a lot of extra power not shown here. This is just the minimum you need to replace system() or the _spawn() family.

STARTUPINFO si;
ZeroMemory( &si, sizeof(si) );
si.cb = sizeof(si);

PROCESS_INFORMATION pi;
ZeroMemory( &pi, sizeof(pi) );

// Spawn creates a cmd.exe window.  CreateProcess doesn't.
//if ( _spawnl( _P_WAIT, szFileNameBAT, szFileNameBAT, NULL ) ) {  
if ( !CreateProcess( szFileNameBAT, szFileNameBAT, NULL, NULL, false,
                     CREATE_NO_WINDOW, NULL, NULL, &si, &pi  ) ) {
  MyErrorFunc( "CreateProcess( \"%s\" ): %d", szFileNameBAT, GetLastError() );
  goto MyErrorHandling;
}

WaitForSingleObject( pi.hProcess, INFINITE );

CloseHandle( pi.hProcess );
CloseHandle( pi.hThread );

Answer 12

Seems that somebody made a list of the 7-8 ways to run 'silent':

http://forums.techguy.org/dos-other/644932-solved-howto-run-batch-file.html

Answer 13

I did it successfully with nircmd this way:

1. download nircmd.exe from the link
2. create your .bat file
3. the first line of .bat file has to be this: nircmd.exe win hide ititle "cmd.exe"
4. select both files and create a self extract file using winrar
5. in "general" tab, check "create autoextract file" box
6. in "advance" tab select "autoextract" button
7. there is a new window and select "mode" tab then select option: "hide everything"
8. select tab "update" and select option "overwrite existing files"
9. Select "general" tab and define a destination folder for extraction if you wish and in the box "Excecute after extraction" write the full path where your .bat will be extracted. Ex: if you define extraction folder as: "c:\windows\" then the full path to excute after extraction will be: "c:\windows\file.bat" (in the case your .bat is named: file.bat)
10. click accept on all windows

Now you will have a .exe file that after you doble click on it and install it, your .bat will run totally hidden.

Answer 14

Adding my answer here from another post since it was a duplicate and I don't see this solution here so now there are 17 different answers for how you can run a batch file hidden. I will delete my answer on that post at some point in the near future.

Create your batch script with your batch logic and commands in it, and then create a new file with .VBS extension, use the below logic (example I provided below) and just plug in the full path to your .CMD or .BAT file with the PING -t <IPAddress>, etc. commands so it executes the batch in a hidden manner not showing the command window when it is executed.

Where the logic in the example below specifies C:\Folder\BatchFileName.cmd change that to point to the batch script with your commands you are running manually, etc. now.

Save the .VBS file and schedule it with Task Scheduler Problems scheduling a task on windows7 to run on an indefinite schedule for your needs.

Otherwise, just double-click on the .VBS file to run the infinite PING command you put in the batch file you point it to as-needed.

NOTE: I believe this is where I got this script logic from but it works reliably for the same purpose you need here which is to ensure the command window is hidden when a batch file is run Server Fault Source

EXAMPLE VBS SCRIPT RUN COMMAND LINE BATCH HIDING CMD WINDOW

Set WinScriptHost = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WinScriptHost.Run Chr(34) & "C:\Folder\BatchFileName.cmd" & Chr(34), 0
Set WinScriptHost = Nothing

Answer 15

Despite I've already answered this here's another approach. The different here's that the batch script can self-hide itself during it's run.You'll need two additional scripts though - windowMode.bat and getCMDPid.bat (both are containing .net code). Here how then can be used:

@echo off
call getCmdPid
call windowMode -pid %errorlevel% -mode hidden

echo this should be written into log despite the cmd window is hidden>log
echo ending the log>>log
exit

Answer 16

Here I've compiled all ways that I know to start a hidden process with batch without external tools.With a ready to use scripts (some of them pretty rich on options) , and all of them form command line.Where is possible also the PID is returned .Used tools are IEXPRESS,SCHTASKS,WScript.Shell,Win32_Process and JScript.Net

Answer 17

cmdow /run /hid "file.extention" arg1 "arg 2"

Answer 18

You do not need to do any special.

If you are running the batch files from a windows service, they should be hidden by default unless you enable the "Allow service to interact with desktop" option on the service.

Answer 19

I needed to hide the window for a batch file called from an explorer context menu, and also needed to add quotes on the parameter. None of the answers worked for me, so I'm adding my own solution.

I had this on the registry "command" for an explorer context menu:

cmd /c C:\mypath\myprogram.bat "%1"

So to replace it I had to create a vbs like this:

WScript.CreateObject ("WScript.shell").run "cmd /c C:\mypath\myprogram.bat """ & WScript.Arguments(0) & """", 0, False

Save in a place like C:\mypath\myscript.vbs and call it like this on the registry:

wscript "C:\mypath\myscript.vbs" "%1"

Note that the .bat path can't have spaces, so replace it with the 8.3 filename. So for instance C:\Program Files\myprogram.bat have to be referenced as C:\Progra~1\myprogram.bat. To see the 8.3 filename use dir /x

Answer 20

I'm created RunApp to do such a job and also using it in my production env, hope it's helps.

The config like below:

file: config.arg

:style:hidden

MyBatchFile.bat
arg1
arg2

And launch runapp.exe instead.

Answer 21

I started trying to figure this out and never really succeeded. This was as close as I got:

@echo off
if not defined PIL (
    set PIL=1
    start /min "" %~0
    exit /b
)
TITLE Hello World
echo Hello world!
pause>nul

Answer 22

I had the same problem, but figured it out:
Shell("filehere" & "parametersforbatchfilehere", vbHidden)

Answer 23

This works for windows 8 (possibly others)

1. Create a batch file as normal
2. Create a shortcut to the batch file
3. Right click on the shortcut > properties
4. Click Layout
5. Untick "Let system position window"
6. set left position tp -1000

7. click apply

8. Click on the shortcut and it will run but you wont see it :)