binify

binify is a small Windows utility for turning desktop executables into command-line entries.

The usual way to run GUI tools from the command line is to add each tool directory to PATH. That works, but it gets messy: existing terminals often need to be restarted before changes apply, files from different directories can conflict, and a long PATH becomes harder to maintain and may slow down process lookup.

binify keeps PATH small by using one Bin directory as the command entry point. Pick a Bin directory, add it to your current-user PATH, then right-click an .exe file and add it as a command. binify creates the entry with a symbolic link, hard link, or a simple CMD wrapper.

中文说明

Screenshots

Configure your Bin directory, current-user PATH integration, Explorer context menu, and UI language.

Confirm the command name and creation mode before adding an executable.

Review, rename, delete, or open entries already in the Bin directory.

Add executables from File Explorer with the right-click menu.

Features

• Add executable files to a user-managed Bin directory.
• Optionally add the Bin directory to the current user's PATH.
• Add an Explorer context-menu action for .exe files.
• Choose how entries are created:
  • Auto
  • Symbolic link
  • Hard link
  • CMD wrapper
• Detect duplicate command names and ask whether to overwrite or cancel.
• Normalize command names into safe Windows command entries.
• View, refresh, rename, delete, and open existing Bin entries.
• Read UI language packs from external JSON files.
• Install and uninstall without administrator privileges for the default current-user setup.

Download

Download the latest installer from the GitHub Releases page.

Recommended installer:

• binify-*-windows-x64.exe for most modern Windows PCs.
• binify-*-windows-x86.exe for 32-bit Windows systems.

Requirements

• Windows 10 or later is recommended.
• x64 and x86 builds are supported.
• Some link modes depend on Windows permissions:
  • Symbolic links may require Developer Mode or suitable privileges.
  • Hard links require the source and Bin directory to be on the same volume.
  • CMD wrapper works by generating a small .bat file and is the most compatible fallback.

Basic usage

1. Open binify.

2. Choose a Bin directory, for example:

   C:\Tools\Bin
   

3. Enable "Add Bin directory to current-user PATH" if you want commands to work from any terminal.

4. Enable the Explorer context menu if you want to add commands by right-clicking .exe files.

5. Save settings.

6. Right-click an .exe file and choose the binify action.

7. Confirm the command name and link mode.

After that, open a new terminal and run the command name you created.

Example:

ffmpeg

If the current terminal was already open before changing PATH, restart the terminal.

Manage entries

Open the Entries tab to:

• Refresh the Bin directory scan.
• Add a new executable.
• Delete an existing entry.
• Rename an entry.
• Open the Bin directory in File Explorer.

Deleting an entry removes only the generated Bin entry, not the original application.

Build from source

Prerequisites:

• Visual Studio 2026 with C++ desktop tools.
• CMake 3.28 or later.
• Git.
• Inno Setup, only if you want to build the installer.

Build and test Debug:

cmake --preset windows-x64-debug
cmake --build --preset windows-x64-debug
ctest --preset windows-x64-debug --output-on-failure

Build Release:

cmake --preset windows-x64-release
cmake --build --preset windows-x64-release --target binify

Build the installer with Inno Setup. If ISCC.exe is on PATH, call it directly; if you use a portable copy, the project convention is third_party\innosetup\bin\ISCC.exe.

.\third_party\innosetup\bin\ISCC.exe .\installer\binify.iss /DAppArch=x64

The installer is written to:

out\installer

Localization

Language files are JSON files under:

resources\lang

Installed language packs are copied to:

<install-dir>\lang

New languages can be added by providing another JSON language pack without recompiling the application.

License

See THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md for third-party notices.