Verify 64 bit binary on windows

Question

How can I verify that a .exe file is built for 64 bit on Windows ? I am used to Linux where I can simply use the 'file' command to see this.

Answer 1

Take a look into the file using a HEX editor. There's a PE magic signature somewhere after the DOS stub, and the platform ID is close behind (some bytes later). For 64 bit builds, it is 0x8664 or so, which is quite easy to spot.