This article shows you how to open a DAT file on a Windows or Mac computer. To do this, you need to use the same program that created the file. If you do not know this information, before you can access the contents of the DAT file in question, you need to find out which software generated it. It should be remembered that some DAT files, such as those used to store language codecs, cannot be opened with a normal program. This type of DAT file can only be opened by the computer's operating system and for this reason it should not be modified at all.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Open a Known DAT File on Windows
Step 1. Determine the program that created the DAT file to open
Unlike most other file formats, DAT files can be created by any program, and for this very reason, you need to know the application that created a particular DAT file in order to view its contents.
If you do not know which program generated the DAT file in question, you will need to trace this information before you can view its contents
Step 2. Launch the program
Double-click the application icon that was used to create the DAT file in question.
Step 3. Click on File
It is usually located in the upper left corner of the program window. A list of options will be displayed.
Step 4. Click on the Open… item
It is one of the items on the menu File. The Windows "File Explorer" window will appear (in some cases a native program dialog will be displayed).
If you are using Microsoft Office, you will need to double-click on the entry This PC visible in the center of the window and only then can you select the item You open to access the "File Explorer" window.
Step 5. View all file types within the "File Explorer" window
Click on the drop-down menu on the right of the "Name" field and choose the option All files. This will display any file format within the "File Explorer" window, including DAT archives.
Step 6. Select the DAT file
Navigate to the folder where it is stored and select it with a single mouse click.
Step 7. Click Open
It is located in the lower right corner of the window. In this way the DAT file will be loaded into the program.
Step 8. Confirm your action if prompted by the program
In some cases, a warning message may appear indicating that the content of the file does not match its extension (or a similar message). Click on Yup or You open to continue and be able to view the contents of the chosen DAT file.
For example, to open a DAT file created with Excel using the Office program produced by Microsoft, a message will be displayed to warn you that the file may be corrupt. In this case, simply press the button Yup to finish opening the file.
Step 9. Change the extension of the DAT file if necessary
If you do not want to have to drag the file in question into the window of the appropriate program every time you want to view its contents, change the extension. Remember that to make this change you will need to know exactly the extension of the file format to use, since using a format other than the original one, but still belonging to the same type (for example the MP4 format instead of AVI), could make the file unusable:
- Click on the DAT file with the right mouse button and choose the option Rename;
- Highlight the dat text portion of the file name;
- Replace the extension dat with the one you want to use.
Method 2 of 3: Open a Known DAT File on Mac
Step 1. Determine which program created the DAT file to open
Unlike most other file formats, DAT files can be created by any program, and for this very reason, you need to know the application that created a particular DAT file in order to view its contents.
If you do not know which program generated the DAT file in question, you will need to trace this information before you can view its contents
Step 2. Launch the program
Double-click the application icon that was used to create the DAT file in question.
Step 3. Drag the DAT file under examination into the program window that appears on the screen
Click with the mouse on the file icon and, without releasing the left button, drag it into the window.
Since DAT files on Mac are normally not readable, you will not be able to use the function You open of the menu File of the chosen program.
Step 4. Drop the DAT file into the window of the program you have chosen to use
Step 5. Confirm your action if prompted by the program
In some cases, a warning message may appear indicating that the content of the file does not match its extension (or a similar message). Click on Yup or You open to continue and be able to view the contents of the chosen DAT file.
For example, to open a DAT file created with Excel using the Office program produced by Microsoft, a warning message will be displayed to warn you that the file may be corrupted. In this case, simply press the button Yup to finish opening the file.
Step 6. Change the extension of the DAT file if necessary
If you do not want to have to drag the file in question into the window of the appropriate program every time you want to view its contents, change the extension. Remember that to perform this change you will need to know exactly the extension of the file format to use, since using a format other than the original one, but still belonging to the same type (for example the MP4 format instead of AVI), could make the file unusable:
- Select the DAT file to edit;
- Click on the menu File, then on the option Information;
- Click on the triangular icon next to the "Name and extension" section;
- Remove the check mark from "Hide extension" if necessary;
- Replace the.dat file name extension with the desired one;
- Press the Enter key, then press the button Use. [Extension_name] when prompted (for example in the case of an XLSX document you will have to press the button Use.xlsx).
Method 3 of 3: Find the Correct Program
Step 1. Review the information the file itself provides
By looking at the name or path where the DAT file is stored you may be able to trace the program that generated it.
- For example, if the DAT file in question is stored in the "Adobe" folder, it is very likely that it was generated by a program distributed by Adobe.
- If the file in question is stored in a directory that contains other system files, the wisest choice is not to touch it because it is most likely used directly by the operating system.
Step 2. Ask the author of the file
If the DAT file in question was sent to you by another user via e-mail or you downloaded it from a website, try contacting the owner to find out what kind of program he used to create it.
This will most likely not work if you got the file from a popular forum or through a file-sharing program or site, but you may be able to get some valuable information from a colleague or friend
Step 3. Open the DAT file using a text editor
To view part of the file's content (or all that it contains), you can try using the text editor built into your computer's operating system:
- Windows - start the "Notepad" program, then drag the DAT file into the program window.
- Mac - start the "TextEdit" program located in the "Applications" folder of the Mac, then drag the DAT file into the program window.
Step 4. Look for information regarding the DAT file in question
Depending on the nature of the file in question, you may be able to understand the meaning of one or two lines of text that will tell you which program generated it and then which one to use to open it correctly.
Even if you cannot locate the specific name of the program that generated the DAT file, you may find information indicating its format (for example, whether it is a video file or a text document) and thus understand the nature of the content
Step 5. Try opening the DAT file using a popular generic program
Some programs such as VLC Media Player, iTunes, Preview and Notepad ++ are capable of displaying the content of a large number of file formats without changing their structure.
For example, VLC Media Player can open most video files, while Notepad ++ can be used to view virtually any type of text document on Windows platforms
Step 6. Proceed for errors and trial
Unfortunately, if you are not able to accurately determine the program that generated the DAT file you want to open, you will have to go by trial and error; that is, you will have to try to open it with a series of different programs until you find the correct one. Start the program to test, drag the DAT file into its window and wait for the file to open.
- If the contents of the file appear understandable and readable, it means that you have found the right program.
- If the content of the file is simply a completely incomprehensible set of characters and symbols or if the program fails to open the DAT archive, you will have to continue the search.
Advice
- You can find DAT files inside system folders (for example, all directories in the "Program Files" folder on a Windows computer or in the "~ Library" directory on a Mac). Normally they are used automatically by the programs that created them, for this reason it is almost useless to open a DAT file to view its contents.
- BBEdit is a Mac alternative program to Notepad ++ that can be used to open any type of file, from simple text documents to PHP files. It is very useful for understanding which program generated a particular DAT file.
