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PyInstaller packages the entire AutoBackupTool application — including all Python dependencies — into a single .exe file. Users can run the tool on any Windows machine without installing Python or any libraries themselves.

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Prerequisites

PyInstaller must be installed in your environment before you build: 
pip install pyinstaller

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Build steps

1

Install PyInstaller

Install PyInstaller into your active Python environment:
pip install pyinstaller
2

Run the build command

From the root of the AutoBackupTool project directory, run:
pyinstaller --name AutoBackupTool --onefile --windowed --icon=autobackuptool.ico backup_gui.py
Each flag controls how PyInstaller packages the application:
FlagEffect
--name AutoBackupToolSets the output EXE name to AutoBackupTool.exe
--onefilePackages everything into a single self-contained .exe
--windowedSuppresses the terminal/console window — suitable for GUI apps
--icon=autobackuptool.icoApplies the bundled icon to the EXE
3

Find the output EXE

After the build completes, your executable is in the dist/ folder:
dist/AutoBackupTool.exe
You can double-click it directly or distribute it to other machines.
4

Distribute the EXE

Copy the following files to users — all three must be in the same directory:
  • dist/AutoBackupTool.exe
  • client_secrets.json
  • backup.env
Users run the app by double-clicking AutoBackupTool.exe. No Python installation is required.

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Alternative: build from a spec file

If you already have a AutoBackupTool.spec file (generated by a previous PyInstaller run or committed to the repository), you can rebuild directly from it: 
pyinstaller AutoBackupTool.spec
This re-uses all the settings from the spec file without needing to pass flags again.
backup.env and client_secrets.json are not bundled inside the EXE. They must be present in the same directory as AutoBackupTool.exe every time the app runs. If either file is missing, the app will fail to start or fail to authenticate with Google Drive.
Windows Defender and other antivirus tools may flag PyInstaller-generated EXEs as false positives. This is a known issue with PyInstaller on Windows, not a sign of malicious code. You can add a folder exclusion in Windows Security, or sign the EXE with a code signing certificate to eliminate the warning for end users.
Add dist/ and build/ to your .gitignore to avoid committing large build artifacts to your repository:
dist/
build/
__pycache__/

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