An executable or executable file is a file whose contents are meant to be interpreted as a program by a computer.

An executable file contains a program that can be executed or run by a computer.

Sometimes the contents of an executable are the binary representation of the machine instructions of a specific processor (in which case the executable may also be referred to as a binary). How a file is identified as an executable is largely a matter of convention; some operating systems designate executable files by specific naming conventions (such as the filename ending with extension .bin or .exe) or noted alongside the file in its metadata (such as the "execute" permission bits under Unix-like operating systems).