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 (from the Windows SDK) 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.