3 Ways To Open A Dat File

If you don’t know which program was used to create the DAT file, you’ll need to figure out which program to use before you can open the DAT file.

If you’re using Microsoft Office, you must double-click This PC in the middle of the page after clicking Open to open the File Explorer window.

For example, opening an Excel-created DAT file in Excel may result in a prompt warning you that the file may be corrupted. You can click Yes to open the file anyway.

Right-click the DAT file, then click Rename. Select the dat portion of the file’s name. Replace the dat section with the file’s extension.

If you don’t know which program was used to create the DAT file, you’ll need to figure out which program to use before you can open the DAT file.

Since your Mac usually won’t view the DAT file as readable, you can’t typically open the DAT file by using the File > Open menu in your selected program.

For example, opening an Excel-created DAT file in Excel may result in a prompt warning you that the file may be corrupted. You can click Yes to open the file anyway.

Select the DAT file. Click File, then click Get Info in the drop-down menu. Click the triangle next to the “Name & Extension” category. Uncheck the “Hide extension” box if necessary. Replace the dat extension with your file’s extension in the file’s current name. Press ⏎ Return, then click Use . extension when prompted (e. g. , for an XLSX document, you would click Use . xlsx here).

For example, if you found the DAT file inside of an “Adobe” folder, you can guess that an Adobe app is meant to open the DAT file. If the file is inside of a folder that contains other system files for your computer, it’s probably best to leave the DAT file alone—it’s probably used by your computer’s built-in programs or features.

This is unlikely to yield much if you’re asking on a crowded forum or a file-sharing site, but you should be able to get an answer out of a coworker or a friend via email.

Windows — Open Notepad, then drag-and-drop the DAT file into the Notepad window. Mac — Open TextEdit from your Mac’s “Applications” folder, then drag-and-drop the DAT file into the TextEdit window.

Even if you don’t see a line about the specific program you need to use, you might find a line that indicates the type of file (e. g. , video or text) that the DAT contents are meant to be.

For example, VLC Media Player can open most video file extensions, while you can download and use Notepad++ on Windows to open virtually any text-based file.

If the file opens in a recognizable format, you’ve found the correct program. If the program displays the DAT file as an incomprehensible jumble of characters or refuses to open the file, your selected program isn’t the right program.