Hide the console of a C program in the Windows OS

Question

I want to hide my console of C when I run my application. How can I make my application run in the background?

Answer 1

Programs with main() by default are compiled as SUBSYSTEM:CONSOLE applications and get a console window. If you own the other processes your application is starting, you could modify them to be windowed applications by one of the following methods:

• Modify them to use WinMain() instead of main(). This is the typical approach but requires modifying code. (If the reason for using main() is for easy access to argc/argv, MSVC provides global __argc/__argv equivalents for windowed applications.)
• Explicitly specifying the subsystem and entry point via /SUBSYSTEM:WINDOWS /ENTRY:main arguments to link.exe.
• Use editbin.exe to change the subsystem type after the fact. This one might be useful if you don't have source code access to the spawned processes.

Answer 2

The easiest way to do this is to use a Windows Forms project rather than Console and then hide the startup form. The other option of course is a Windows Service, but this might be overkill ...

Answer 3

If I remember correctly, there's no way to do it programmatically. There are options to do it. I think I have done it in the past by creating a Windows project, but having no Windows Forms code (I am just including the files from my console application). No console window popped up. I believe I did it in Code::Blocks once by changing an option in the GUI. I am sorry I can't be specific, but I am using Visual Studio 2010 RC and the way I do it there may not be the same as yours.

Your comment makes me think that you're spawning processes. You do it by the function you call. I don't know what language you're using (I'll assume C, because you said you're launching a C application you created?), but there is either a flag to say hide the window or (or a flag you don't set to not show it) or use an alternative function which does the same thing, but launches the process a different way. Try shellexecute and system().

Answer 4

Use CreateProcess with the DETACH_PROCESS flag.