What is BAT? BAT, short name for Batch, is used as the file extension for Windows/DOS command batch files. .BAT files are text files that can be opened by Notepad or any text editors. See the sample .BAT file included below.

File Extension: .BAT

MIME Type: application/bat, application/x-bat, application/x-msdos-program

File Content: Windows/DOS commands.

.BAT files are Windows/DOS command batch files, which are originally used for command batch files on DOS systems. Today, .BAT files are used on Windows system. When launched, all commands stored in a .BAT batch file will be executed sequentially.

Here is a sample .BAT batch file containing some simple Windows commands:

echo off

rem Defining a variable
set GOOGLE=www.google.com

rem Using a defined variable
echo Checking: %GOOGLE%
ping %GOOGLE%

.BAT batch sample file: Click sample.bat to download.

Since .BAT text files are in text format, you can use Notepad or any text editor to create or modify them. No special software is needed.

For for information on how to use .BAT batch files, see links below:

• Using batch files, by Microsoft.