uncompyle6 hello.pyc > hello_recovered.py
The short answer is: But the longer answer is more nuanced. While you cannot get the original source code with comments and variable names, you can often recover a large portion of the logic, reconstruct Python bytecode, and sometimes even retrieve the original .py files – depending on the tool used to create the EXE.
Before trying to reverse an EXE, exhaust all possibilities of finding the original .py files – check backups, email history, version control (Git), and even temporary files. Reverse engineering should be a last resort, not a first step.
pyinstaller --onefile hello.py
Introduction: The Common Misconception If you've ever lost the source code of a Python program but still have its .exe file (created with tools like PyInstaller, cx_Freeze, or py2exe), you might wonder: Can I just convert this EXE back to a .py file?
This guide explores all possible methods, their success rates, ethical considerations, and step-by-step instructions for extracting Python code from compiled executables. To understand conversion, you must first understand what a Python EXE actually contains.
| Original Feature | Recoverable? | |----------------|--------------| | Comments | ❌ No | | Variable names (if minified) | ❌ No (you get a , b , var1 ) | | Docstrings | ✅ Yes (if not stripped) | | Function/class names | ✅ Yes (usually) | | Original file structure (multiple .py files) | ✅ Often yes | | External library source code | ❌ Only if embedded | convert exe to py
# decompyle3 version 3.9.0 def greet(name): return f"Hello, name!" print(greet("World"))
def greet(name): # This comment will be lost return f"Hello, name!" print(greet("World"))
If you must proceed, respect intellectual property and use these techniques only on your own code or with explicit permission. # Extract PyInstaller EXE python pyinstxtractor.py target.exe Decompile single .pyc uncompyle6 file.pyc > file.py Decompile all .pyc in folder for f in *.pyc; do uncompyle6 $f > $f%.pyc.py; done Scan EXE for Python strings strings target.exe | grep -E "import |def |class " Check if EXE is PyInstaller strings target.exe | grep "PyInstaller" This guide is for educational purposes. Always ensure you have the legal right to reverse engineer any executable. uncompyle6 hello
python pyinstxtractor.py dist/hello.exe Inside the extracted folder, find hello.pyc .
binwalk -e your_program.exe If the EXE decrypts itself only at runtime, you can dump the process memory.