The 'Python Application (Windowed)' launched via the Python Installation Manager displays a console window.

[Jesse205]

Bug report

Bug description:

The Python Installation Manager replaces the original Python Launcher now. Both pyzw and pyz files are then launched by the new Python Installation Manager.

The Python Installation Manager also supports the console-less pyzw version and recognizes shebang lines.

However, once a shebang line is specified, even if the file extension is pyzw, a console window still appears.

The previous Python Launcher did not have this issue.

Reproduction Steps

1. Create the following file structure:

   # myapp/__main__.py
   import tkinter
   
   
   tkinter.Tk().mainloop()

2. Execute the following command in the terminal:

   python -m zipapp myapp -p "/usr/bin/env python3" -o myapp.pyzw

3. Double-click the myapp.pyzw file to run it.

Enviroments

• OS: Windows 11 25H2
• Python: 3.14t (from the full installer)

CPython versions tested on:

3.14

Operating systems tested on:

Windows

[picnixz]

cc @zooba

[pfmoore]

Your shebang specifies the console version of the interpreter. You need to use pythonw3:

python -m zipapp myapp -p "/usr/bin/env pythonw3" -o myapp.pyzw

[zooba]

Oh, I missed that there's a shebang line that specifies the console version. Paul's right, that's your issue - I guess the previous launcher ignored the shebang (which would be its own bug).

[zooba]

It's also worth grabbing the current beta to test with, since handling of *w in shebang lines was fixed there too.

[Jesse205]

Your shebang specifies the console version of the interpreter. You need to use pythonw3:

python -m zipapp myapp -p "/usr/bin/env pythonw3" -o myapp.pyzw

@pfmoore If I had to change the shebang to /usr/bin/env pythonw3, then the zipapp would not be compatible with Linux because pythonw3 does not exist in Linux, so I cannot do this. The previous launcher didn't ignore the shebang either; it's just that because the extension was .pyzw, the window wouldn't show up.

[zooba]

The previous launcher didn't ignore the shebang either; it's just that because the extension was .pyzw, the window wouldn't show up.

Windows isn't capable of this, it's already decided whether or not to create the console window before we parse the shebang (Windows has no shebang parsing of its own, so we emulate it).

I guess there's a reasonable argument for *w.exe to assume that the shebang meant to use *w.exe Python. I'm going to label it an enhancement rather than a bug, though.

[Jesse205]

Windows isn't capable of this, it's already decided whether or not to create the console window before we parse the shebang (Windows has no shebang parsing of its own, so we emulate it).

@zooba Since .pyzw files are associated with pymanager's pythonw.exe, the command window can be hidden when parsing the shebang. The reason why launching a .pyzw file with a shebang of /usr/bin/env python3 using pylauncher does not show a window is precisely because the file is associated with pyw.exe.

Additionally, I do not consider the current behavior as a feature. This is because if the app is launched via the command pyw .\myapp.pyzw, it blocks the current session and starts a separate console window. However, it is clear that the person executing this command intends to launch it without a command window, just like the behavior when directly using pythonw .\myapp.pyzw.

Using pymanager	Using the Python interpreter directly

Note

On my computer, python and pythonw directly point to the original Python interpreter.

I guess there's a reasonable argument for *w.exe to assume that the shebang meant to use *w.exe Python. I'm going to label it an enhancement rather than a bug, though.

I'm sorry, but I couldn't quite understand what you meant. Could you rephrase it? My English is not very good, so I always use translation tools to communicate, but the translation of this sentence came out strangely to me.