A .pyw file is a Python source code file intended for execution in a graphical user interface (GUI) environment on Windows. It's similar to a .py file, which is used for general Python scripts, but with a crucial difference: when a .pyw file is executed, it does not automatically open a console window. This is particularly useful for GUI applications where a console window is not desired or necessary. The Python interpreter associated with .pyw files is typically pythonw.exe, which is designed to suppress console output. This allows the GUI application to run seamlessly without any command-line interface interfering with the user experience. The .pyw extension is primarily a Windows convention; on other operating systems like macOS and Linux, the .py extension is generally used for both console and GUI applications, and the absence of a console is often managed through other mechanisms within the code or the operating system's windowing system.