How to Run a C# Console Application with the Console Hidden

How to run a C# console application with the console hidden

If you are using the ProcessStartInfo class you can set the window style to hidden - in the case of console (not GUI) applications, you have to set CreateNoWindow to true:

System.Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo start =
      new System.Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo();
start.FileName = dir + @"\Myprocesstostart.exe";
start.WindowStyle = System.Diagnostics.ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden; //Hides GUI
start.CreateNoWindow = true; //Hides console

Show/Hide the console window of a C# console application

Here’s how:

using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

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[DllImport("kernel32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr GetConsoleWindow();

[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern bool ShowWindow(IntPtr hWnd, int nCmdShow);

const int SW_HIDE = 0;
const int SW_SHOW = 5;

---

var handle = GetConsoleWindow();

// Hide
ShowWindow(handle, SW_HIDE);

// Show
ShowWindow(handle, SW_SHOW);

Hide the console window from a console application

Go to the Application Properties and change Output Type from Console Application to Windows Application.

Or you can do it using a code below

using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
[DllImport("kernel32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr GetConsoleWindow();

[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern bool ShowWindow(IntPtr hWnd, int nCmdShow);

And in main

const int SW_HIDE = 0;
const int SW_SHOW = 5;
var handle = GetConsoleWindow();

ShowWindow(handle, SW_HIDE); // To hide
ShowWindow(handle, SW_SHOW); // To show

Also, you can run you application as a service. In order to do this you should create a service - File->New Project->Visual C#->Windows->Windows Service. Then create a public method StartWork() and add all you logic there. And call this method in OnStart().

 protected override void OnStart(string[] args)
    {
        try
        {
            this.StartJobs();
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            // catching exception
        }
    }

    public void StartWork()
    {
       // all the logic here
    }

In main you should create this service and use System.ServiceProcess.ServiceBase.Run() to run it as service or call StartWork() to run it as console application.

static void Main(string[] args)
{
    TestService = new  TestService ();

    #if DEBUG
        TestService.StartWork()();
    #else
        System.ServiceProcess.ServiceBase.Run(TestService ); 
    #endif
}

Using Invoke to run a hidden console application

I can think of two solutions:

1.Change your console application output type from Console Application to Windows Application. You can change it from Project Properties. This will hide the console window.

2.Write your assembly bytes to a file and use Process.Start to hide the console window. Something like this:

var f = Path.GetTempFileName() + ".exe";
File.WriteAllBytes(f, assemblyBytes);
var p = new Process();
p.StartInfo.FileName = f;
p.StartInfo.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Minimized;
p.Start();

Hide Console Window in C# Console Application

Change the output type from Console Application to Windows Application. This can be done under Project -> Properties -> Application in Visual Studio:

How to hide a console application in C#

Compile it as a Windows Forms application. Then it won't display any UI, if you do not explicitly open any Windows.

how can i publish a C# .net console app without the console?

An easy way to do this is to change <OutputType>Exe</OutputType> to <OutputType>WinExe</OutputType> in your csproj. Once you do that, your application won't open a console window.

Later on, if you want to open a console window for debugging or whatever you can PInvoke AllocConsole().

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