which

which is a command-line utility developed and published by Allan K. Koech, currently available in version 1.0.0, the only released version to date. The software serves as a Windows implementation of the well-known Unix which command, bringing familiar executable lookup functionality to the Windows command-line environment. Its purpose is to locate executable files on the system's PATH, helping users determine exactly which binary will be invoked when a command name is typed into a terminal. The utility scans every directory listed in the PATH environment variable and reports any matching executables it finds, making it valuable for diagnosing PATH misconfigurations, resolving conflicts between duplicate tool installations, and verifying that the intended version of a program is actually being executed. A notable feature is its handling of the PATHEXT environment variable, which ensures that extensionless queries still match files with common Windows executable extensions, including .exe, .cmd, .bat, and .com. This behavior aligns with how the Windows command processor itself resolves commands, so results reflect real execution behavior. In its default mode, which prints only the first match found during the directory scan, mirroring the order in which Windows would select an executable. For more thorough inspection, users can pass the -a or --all flag to list every matching instance across all PATH directories, which is particularly useful when multiple versions of the same tool are installed and shadowing one another. The output is color-coded to improve readability and make results easier to scan visually. Falling within the developer tools and system utilities category, which suits programmers, system administrators, and power users who frequently work in command-line environments on Windows and need a quick, reliable way to trace command resolution and manage their PATH configuration.

Tags: