How can I convert my Java program to an exe file

Question

If I have a Java source file    java  or a class file    class   how can I convert it to a  exe file   I also need an installer for my program

User · Answer

The latest Java Web Start has been enhanced to allow good offline operation as well as allowing "local installation". It is worth looking into.

EDIT 2018: Java Web Start is no longer bundled with the newest JDK's. Oracle is pushing towards a "deploy your app locally with an enclosed JRE" model instead.

User · Answer

javapackager  The Java Packager tool compiles  packages  and prepares Java and JavaFX applications for distribution  The javapackager command is the command-line version      Oracle s documentation  The javapackager utility ships with the JDK  It can generate  exe files with the -native exe flag  among many other things  WinRun4J  WinRun4j is a java launcher for windows  It is an alternative to javaw exe and provides the following benefits   Uses an INI file for specifying classpath  main class  vm args  program args  Custom executable name that appears in task manager  Additional JVM args for more flexible memory use  Built-in icon replacer for custom icon   more bullet points follow       WinRun4J s webpage  WinRun4J is an open source utility  It has many features  packr  Packages your JAR  assets and a JVM for distribution on Windows  Linux and Mac OS X  adding a native executable file to make it appear like a native app  Packr is most suitable for GUI applications      packr README  packr is another open source tool  JSmooth  JSmooth is a Java Executable Wrapper  It creates native Windows launchers  standard  exe  for your java applications  It makes java deployment much smoother and user-friendly  as it is able to find any installed Java VM by itself      JSmooth s website  JSmooth is open source and has features  but it is very old  The last release was in 2007  JexePack  JexePack is a command line tool  great for automated scripting  that allows you to package your Java application  class files   optionally along with its resources  like GIF JPG TXT etc   into a single compressed 32-bit Windows EXE  which runs using Sun s Java Runtime Environment  Both console and windowed applications are supported      JexePack s website  JexePack is trialware  Payment is required for production use  and exe files created with this tool will display  quot reminders quot  without payment  Also  the last release was in 2013  InstallAnywhere  InstallAnywhere makes it easy for developers to create professional installation software for any platform  With InstallAnywhere  you   ll adapt to industry changes quickly  get to market faster and deliver an engaging customer experience  And know the vulnerability of your project   s OSS components before you ship      InstallAnywhere s website  InstallAnywhere is a commercial enterprise package that generates installers for Java-based programs  It s probably capable of creating  exe files  Executable JAR files As an alternative to  exe files  you can create a JAR file that automatically runs when double-clicked  by adding an entry point to the JAR manifest   For more information An excellent source of information on this topic is Excelsior s article  quot Convert Java to EXE     Why  When  When Not and How quot   See also the companion article  quot Best JAR to EXE Conversion Tools  Free and Commercial quot

User · Answer

I would say launch4j is the best tool for converting a java source code  java  to  exe file You can even bundle a jre with it for distribution and the exe can even be iconified  Although the size of application increases  it makes sure that the application will work perfectly even if the user does not have a jre installed  It also makes sure that you are able to provide the specific jre required for your app without the user having to install it separately  But unfortunately  java loses its importance  Its multi platform support is totally ignored and the final app is only supported for windows  But that is not a big deal  if you are catering only to windows users

User · Answer

UPDATE  GCJ is dead  It was officially removed from the GCC project in 2016  Even before that  it was practically abandoned for seven years  and in any case it was never sufficiently complete to serve as a viable alternative Java implementation  Go find another Java AOT compiler   GCJ  The GNU Compiler for Java can compile Java source code into native machine code  including Windows executables  Although not everything in Java is supported under GCJ  especially the GUI components  see What Java API s are supported  How complete is the support  question from the FAQ   I haven t used GCJ much  but from the limited testing I ve done with console applications  it seems fine  One downside of using GCJ to create an standalone executable is that the size of the resulting EXE can be quite large  One time I compiled a trivial console application in GCJ and the result was an executable about 1 MB   There may be ways around this that I am not aware of  Another option would be executable compression programs   In terms of open-source installers  the Nullsoft Scriptable Install System is a scriptable installer  If you re curious  there are user contributed examples on how to detect the presence of a JRE and install it automatically if the required JRE is not installed   Just to let you know  I haven t used NSIS before   For more information on using NSIS for installing Java applications  please take a look at my response for the question  quot What s the best way to distribute Java applications  quot

User · Answer

I can be forgiven for being against converting a java program to a  exe Application and I have My reasons  the Major one being that a java program can be compiled to a jar file from A lot of IDE s  When the program is in  jar format  it can run in Multiple Platforms as opposed to  exe which would run Only in very limited Environment  I am for the Idea that Java Programs shoudl not be converted to Exe unless it is very neccesary  One can always write  bat files that runs the Java program while it is a jar file   if it is really neccesary to convert it to exe  Jar2Exe converter silently does that and one can also attach Libraries that are compiled together with the Main Application

User · Answer

IMHO JSmooth seems to do a pretty good job

User · Answer

Java projects are exported as Jar executables  When you wanna do a  exe file of a java project  what you can do is  convert  the JAR to EXE    i remark that i putted between quotes convert because isn t exactly this   From intelij you gonna be able to generate only the jar Try following the next example   https   www genuinecoder com convert-java-jar-to-exe

User · Answer

You can convert jar to exe using jar2exe  However you need to purchase the software  If you need a open source software i would suggest JSmooth

User · Answer

You can use Janel  This last works as an application launcher or service launcher  available from 4 x

User · Answer

If you need to convert your entire application to native code  i e  an EXE plus DLLs  there is ExcelsiorJET  I found it works well and provided an alternative to bundling a JRE  EDIT  This was posted in 2010 - the product is no longer available

User · Answer

We re using Install4J to build installers for windows or unix environments   It s easily customizable up to the point where you want to write scripts for special actions that cannot be done with standard dialogues  But even though we re setting up windows services with it  we re only using standard components    installer   launcher windows or unix scriptable in Java ant task lots of customizable standard panels and actions optionally includes or downloads a JRE can also launch windows services multiple languages   I think Launch4J is from the same company  just the launcher - no installer    PS  sadly i m not getting paid for this endorsement  I just like that tool

User · Answer

You could make a batch file with the following code   start javaw -jar JarFile jar   and convert the  bat to an  exe using any  bat to  exe converter

User · Answer

Alternatively  you can use some java-to-c translator  e g   JCGO  and compile the generated C files to a native binary   exe  file for the target platform

User · Answer

Launch4j  Launch4j is a cross-platform tool for wrapping Java applications distributed as jars in lightweight Windows native executables  The executable can be configured to search for a certain JRE version or use a bundled one  and it s possible to set runtime options  like the initial max heap size  The wrapper also provides better user experience through an application icon  a native pre-JRE splash screen  a custom process name  and a Java download page in case the appropriate JRE cannot be found      Launch4j s website

[java] How can I convert my Java program to an .exe file?

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