Windows has many mysterious files. But, whenever you see a .DAT file that seems blank, there is always an urge to click it and check back.
However, these files often have vital data, and you should be careful with it. But, in other cases, there may be media files, data files, and even a software file.
So, if you want to open any .DAT file, then what are you going to do about it? Here, we will be discussing some methods to read and open the .DAT file in Windows.
But, before we do that, let's first understand what is a .DAT file first.
What Is a DAT File?
Any Windows file with the .DAT extension that most of the time, stores data related to software applications is a DAT File.
These files are almost easy to spot, but many times, these files are among the DLL(Dynamic-link library) files or other shared libraries of folders.
A .DAT file is not generated by any specific program or software in Windows, though many different software applications’ data is stored in the .DAT files for executing functions and features.
If you are looking for data in the .DAT file for a specific program, you have to access the application's configuration libraries.
In some cases, these files are also seen to have data from attachments of emails that are often corrupted through errors.
Windows does not provide an instant prompt on double-clicking the .DAT files. So, you don't get a viable option straight away to open these .DAT files. Take an example of the audio files... You downloaded an MP3 file from a website, and instead of the regular audio file extension, all you get is a .DAT file.
So, when you know a file has an .MP3 extension or say a .JPEG extension, there is a certainty about the type of file. However, DAT files can turn out to be a surprise. So, it is essential to scan such files before opening them.
Once you have scanned the file for security reasons, the next step is top opening and then reading it. let's know some methods to open and read the .DAT files.
Method 1: Text Editor
A text-based editor can help you open and read the .DAT file easily. It is one of the most common tools used for opening any .DAT file. Windows has a native Notepad and a Microsoft Text Editor too.
You can also use other text-editing programs available online to replace the good old Notepad. Every .DAT file is not a text file, and if it is not a text file, the notepad can't help you.
But, it is always like a mystery. So, you never know what is in there. It is hard to open, edit, or move sometimes. These files can be part of the setup for programs, and moving or deleting can cause issues. The best way is to open it and then decide what to do with it.
Step 1: To open the file in Windows by using notepad, you need to right-click on the .DAT file and select the option of "Open With".
Step 2: Select Notepad from all the options in the menu, and click Ok.
Step 3: Now, you can easily read the file if it is a text file. If it is not a text-based file, then you will only find some alienated language.
Method 2: Email Attachment Opener
We discussed earlier that often email attachments are corrupted and land as a .DAT file. So, how can you open it and read the same? You can use an online email attachment opener program like Winmaildat.com that helps users to open the winmail.DAT files.
Once you do that, click on "apply" to permanently convert the file typeMethod 3: Changing the Extension Through Properties
There are many free and paid .DAT to .DOC converters that you can download over the internet. As we already established, you don't want to touch another configuration file, or your software programs might not work.
So, if your .DAT file is not a text file, converting it to a .DOC file is worthless. Likewise, converting a .DAT file to other formats like video files does need some preloaded software for rendering the contents.
A simpler way is to change the extension of the file through Windows. Let's see some steps to do it.
Method 3: Changing the Extension Through Properties
There are many free and paid .DAT to .DOC converters that you can download over the internet. As we already established, you don't want to touch another configuration file, or your software programs might not work.
So, if your .DAT file is not a text file, converting it to a .DOC file is worthless. Likewise, converting a .DAT file to other formats like video files does need some preloaded softwares for rendering the contents.
A simpler way is to change the extension of the file through Windows. Let's see some steps to do it.
How to Open DAT File in Windows
Method 4: DriveImage XML
This is another program to convert the .DAT files to an entirely different type of file for backups. DriveImage XML uses the .DAT file to backup data along with an XML file. There is no other way for the aforementioned program to access the data as it is not a test or video file.
You need to restore the entire data on your computer hardware through the associated XML file.
Method 5: Renaming the File
It is a very simple method that you can use in the Windows systems later than the Windows 8. So, let’s begin with the technique.
Step 1: Locate the .DAT file in the Windows explorer and get to the folder with the file you need to rename.
Step 2: Click on the View tab on the top menu bar in the Window, and check for the extension name of the file.
Step 3: Once you check the file extension, you will get an option to edit it by double-clicking it.
Step 4: Simply type in the new file name with the original file extension like .JPG, .RTF, or .MP3. Click yes to confirm the change, and there is your original file.Opening the.DAT file on MAC Using TextEdit
Mac OS is a little different from Windows, and you will need to have some experience of using the computer operating system for opening the .DAT file. So, let's get down to the method.
Note: It is essential to open some .DAT files and check if the file does not have essential codes for your applications or programs. But, most essentially, they can be carriers of viruses, and that is why before you attempt to open it on either Windows or Mac, a scan is needed through the antivirus software.
Conclusion
We saw many methods for opening and converting the .DAT files. We also discovered a method to open and read for Mac along with different ways for Windows. Every method is simple and almost free. You just need to have the basic idea of how a computer works.
Though there are many paid programs too for opening and reading the .DAT files, the reason behind the use of paid programs for opening or converting .DAT files is that many new technologies like Blockchain use .DAT files to save data or crypto-currency based tokens into the wallets.
If you are using .DAT files to save such important data, manipulation of the file should be done carefully.
