Dependency Walker or depends.exe is a free

Freeware

Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...

 program

Computer program

A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...

 for Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

 used to list the imported and exported functions of a portable executable

Portable Executable

The Portable Executable format is a file format for executables, object code and DLLs, used in 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows operating systems. The term "portable" refers to the format's versatility in numerous environments of operating system software architecture...

 file. It also displays a recursive

Recursion

Recursion is the process of repeating items in a self-similar way. For instance, when the surfaces of two mirrors are exactly parallel with each other the nested images that occur are a form of infinite recursion. The term has a variety of meanings specific to a variety of disciplines ranging from...

 tree of all the dependencies of the executable file (all the files it requires to run). Dependency Walker was included in Microsoft Visual Studio

Microsoft Visual Studio

Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment from Microsoft. It is used to develop console and graphical user interface applications along with Windows Forms applications, web sites, web applications, and web services in both native code together with managed code for all...

 until Visual Studio 2005 (Version 8.0) and Windows XP SP2 support tools

Windows Support Tools

Windows Support Tools is a suite of management, administration and troubleshooting tools for Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2 from Microsoft Corporation....

. It only shows the load-time dependencies; it is not possible to know every run-time dependency without disassembling or executing the program.

It has been developed by Steve Miller.

Basic Features

• Runs on Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista and 7
• List all dependent modules (portable executables)
• Supports 64-bit
  64-bit
  64-bit is a word size that defines certain classes of computer architecture, buses, memory and CPUs, and by extension the software that runs on them. 64-bit CPUs have existed in supercomputers since the 1970s and in RISC-based workstations and servers since the early 1990s...
  
   and Windows CE
  Windows CE
  Microsoft Windows CE is an operating system developed by Microsoft for embedded systems. Windows CE is a distinct operating system and kernel, rather than a trimmed-down version of desktop Windows...
  
   executables
• Detects if the module is programmed in C
  C (programming language)
  C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
  
   or C++
  C++
  C++ is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as an intermediate-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell...
  
  
• Detects modules not listed in the import address table
• Color coding of the list to help highlight problems (broken dependencies are highlighted in red)
• Traces dependencies recursively, and lists dependencies of all modules in a tree view

External links

• Dependency Walker download site
• How to use Dependency Walker Short Tutorial with Screenshots
• How to use Dependency Walker