WinSCP has two executables:

• winscp.exe: Main executable, supports both GUI and console operation;
• winscp.com: Console interface tool, supports console operation only, allows input/output redirection.

This follows two basic executable types of Windows operation system, GUI and console.

Both executables are part of the installation package. Both are as well available for portable use.

The EXE executable is the main one.

What you can do with it:

• When run, it starts by default in GUI mode, showing the Login dialog;
• Using the command-line options, it can be started in console mode;
• It can be used to execute scripts without showing any window (by omitting /console parameter).

The COM executable is a simple tool that internally runs winscp.exe and provides console interface for it.

What you can do with it:

• Supports console mode only, but allows input/output redirection;
• When run from another console application (such as standard Windows console/command-line window, i.e. cmd.exe), it inherits its console1).
• When run from Windows shell (i.e. cmd.exe or batch file), the shell waits for WinSCP to finish. So you can then check for WinSCP exit code.

The COM executable needs the EXE one to operate. It looks for it in the same directory where it is located itself. The EXE must have exactly the same name.

For input/output redirection use standard operators:

• > for output redirection;
• < for input redirection;
• | for piping.

You can also use input/output redirection when running ’winscp.com from another application. For example see Guide to SFTP transfers in .NET.