A .pyw file is a Python source code file designed primarily for graphical user interface (GUI) applications on Windows. The key difference between .py and .pyw files lies in how they are executed. When a .py file is run, a console window is typically opened to display any output or error messages. In contrast, a .pyw file is executed without opening a console window. This makes it ideal for GUI applications where the user interacts with windows and controls rather than a command-line interface. The .pyw extension tells the Windows operating system to launch the script using pythonw.exe, which is the Windows GUI version of the Python interpreter. This interpreter suppresses the console window, allowing the GUI application to run seamlessly in the background or as a standalone application without a visible console. This is particularly useful for applications intended to run in the system tray or perform background tasks without disturbing the user's workflow. The code within a .pyw file is standard Python code and can utilize any Python library, including GUI frameworks like Tkinter, PyQt, or wxPython.