What is a .BAT file?
A .BAT file is a special kind of computer file that's used to give a list of commands to the Windows Command Prompt, which is a program on your computer where you can type commands to do different things. Think of a .BAT file like a recipe that tells your computer exactly what steps to take to do a job, like opening programs or checking your computer for problems.
You can open and run these .BAT files with several programs: - **File Viewer Plus** – You can get this from the Microsoft store. - **Microsoft Windows Command Prompt** – This comes with your Windows computer, so you don't need to download anything extra. - **Any text editor** – This means programs like Notepad or Wordpad that let you write or edit text. You can use these to make or change .BAT files. - **Parallels Desktop for Mac with Windows installed** – If you're using a Mac but have Windows set up through Parallels Desktop, you can also work with .BAT files. - **Android** – There are apps that let you handle these files on Android devices. - **WineHQ** – This is a program for Linux and macOS that lets you run Windows programs, including working with .BAT files.
People who know a bit about computers and Windows or DOS (an older system before Windows) use .BAT files to make the computer do repetitive tasks more easily. You can create your own .BAT files using a simple text editor like Notepad. Just type the commands you want, one per line. When you're done, save the file with a ".bat" at the end of its name, or you can save it as a ".txt" file and then change the name to end in ".bat" instead.
This way, you can tell your computer to do a bunch of tasks with just one click, instead of typing out each command every time.
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