Unable start target app

Desktop Testing
1

Hi there，

the exe name of shortcut of target app is not same as the name of process, how katalon handle this？

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2 Likes
2

Katalon Studio 11.0.1 (FlaUI driver) launches actual .exe path, not shortcut name or process name—resolve shortcut target first.​

Resolve Shortcut Target

  1. Right-click shortcut > Properties > Target field = full .exe path (e.g., C:\Program Files\App\app.exe).
  2. Spy/Record Desktop > Application File > paste .exe path.
  3. Or Desired Capabilities:
"app": "C:\\Program Files\\App\\app.exe",
"appWorkingDir": "C:\\Program Files\\App"

Launch succeeds despite process rename.

Attach running: Use App Top Level Window Handle from Inspect.exe (PID-based, e.g., Process:12345)

3

hi @bin.meng

in Katalon Desktop Testing (FlaUI driver), the application launch is based on the actual executable file path, not the shortcut name or the process name shown in Task Manager.

So if your shortcut points to an executable whose process name is different, Katalon does not rely on the process name — it simply launches the executable defined in the app capability.

Recommended approaches:

  1. Use the real executable path

    • Right-click the shortcut → Properties
    • Copy the value from the Target field
    • Use that full path when launching the application in Katalon.

Example desired capabilities:

{
  "app": "C:\\Program Files\\YourApp\\yourApp.exe",
  "appWorkingDir": "C:\\Program Files\\YourApp"
}

  1. If the application is already running
    You can attach to the existing window using the Top Level Window Handle obtained from tools like Inspect.exe (Windows SDK).

  2. Avoid using shortcut (.lnk) files
    Katalon/FlaUI does not resolve .lnk files automatically, so always provide the real .exe path.

in short, the difference between the shortcut name and the process name will not affect execution as long as Katalon is given the correct executable path

hope this helps

4

Thank you for your reply.

1 I don’t know the actual executable file path, there are only two exes in target app folder, It throw argument error when I launch the other exe

2 My target app is installed by windows application store, I can not click detail in task manager

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5

hi @bin.meng

Since your application is installed from the Microsoft Store, the executable is usually packaged as a UWP/MSIX app. In that case the real .exe is stored inside the protected WindowsApps folder and it is normally not visible in Task Manager or accessible directly.

Here are a few ways you can still launch or attach the app for Desktop Testing:

:one: Get the AppUserModelID (recommended for Store apps)
You can list installed Store applications using PowerShell:

Get-StartApps | findstr /i "your-app-name"

This will return something like:

Your App Name    Company.AppName_123abc!App

You can then launch it using the Application User Model ID.

Example capability:

{
  "app": "Company.AppName_123abc!App"
}

:two: Launch from shell:AppsFolder

Another way to identify the AppUserModelID:

  1. Press Win + R
  2. Run:
shell:AppsFolder
  1. Find your application
  2. Right-click → Create shortcut (or check properties)

The shortcut target usually contains the AppUserModelID, which you can use as the app capability.

:three: Attach to a running application

If the app is already running, you can also attach using the Top Level Window Handle:

  1. Open Inspect.exe (Windows SDK)
  2. Select the application window
  3. Copy the NativeWindowHandle
  4. Convert it to hex and use:
{
  "appTopLevelWindow": "0x123456"
}

This approach works even when the actual executable path is hidden.

Because Store apps are packaged differently, using the AppUserModelID or window handle is usually more reliable than trying to locate the .exe.

hope this helps :+1:

6

I’ve had this happen before! A lot of times, Katalon gets grumpy if the Appium version installed doesn’t match what it’s expecting. Try running appium -v in your terminal to check the version, and maybe do a quick npm install -g appium to make sure everything is current. Also, double-check that your ‘App Path’ in the Project Settings is absolute and doesn’t have any weird spaces in the folder names.

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