Microsoft Docs

CreateProcessW function

Creates a new process and its primary thread. The new process is run under the security context specified in the lpSecurityAttributes parameter.

Remarks

The CreateProcessW function creates a new process that starts running the specified executable program. The new process is created with a new message-creation thread. The CreateProcessW function can create a process in a suspended state, allowing the calling process to control the process's initial execution state. The lpCommandLine parameter is required if lpApplicationName is NULL.

If the executable file is a 32-bit application that is expected to run on a 64-bit system, the system's handling of the file depends on the system's configuration. For more information, see "Running 32-bit Applications" on the Microsoft Learn site.

To create a process that is not associated with the calling process's console, set the CREATE_NO_WINDOW flag in the dwCreationFlags parameter.

If the executable file is a script (such as a batch file or VBScript), you must specify the interpreter in the lpCommandLine parameter. For example, to run MyScript.bat, use cmd.exe /c MyScript.bat.

Example

This C++ code snippet demonstrates how to use CreateProcessW to launch Notepad:

#include <windows.h>
#include <iostream>

int main() {
    STARTUPINFOW si;
    PROCESS_INFORMATION pi;

    ZeroMemory(&si, sizeof(si));
    si.cb = sizeof(si);
    ZeroMemory(&pi, sizeof(pi));

    // The command line to execute
    LPCWSTR commandLine = L"notepad.exe";

    // Create the child process.
    if (!CreateProcessW(
        NULL,           // No module name (use command line)
        (LPWSTR)commandLine, // Command line
        NULL,           // Process handle not inheritable
        NULL,           // Thread handle not inheritable
        FALSE,          // Set handle inheritance to FALSE
        0,              // No creation flags
        NULL,           // Use parent's environment block
        NULL,           // Use parent's starting directory
        &si,            // Pointer to STARTUPINFO structure
        &pi)           // Pointer to PROCESS_INFORMATION structure
    ) {
        std::cerr << "CreateProcess failed (" << GetLastError() << ").\n";
        return 1;
    }

    // Wait until child process exits.
    WaitForSingleObject(pi.hProcess, INFINITE);

    // Close process and thread handles.
    CloseHandle(pi.hProcess);
    CloseHandle(pi.hThread);

    std::cout << "Notepad process has exited.\n";

    return 0;
}

Requirements

See also

• CreateProcessA
• Process and Thread Structures
• Process and Thread Functions
• ExitProcess
• TerminateProcess