How to open DAT file: computer
Now that you have all the information you need, it's time to understand, in practice, how to open DAT file from the computer. The indications I am about to give you are valid for Windows and macOS and allow you to manage most of the “common” DAT files; if, on the other hand, you have received such a document in the form of an e-mail attachment named winmail.dat, save the document in question and consult the final chapter of this guide for precise indications on what to do.
How to open DAT files with Windows
As I explained to you earlier, most DAT files contain text strings, which can be read by any program capable of displaying and processing texts: for example, you can view the content of a DAT file composed of text using the Block notes or, better yet, of WordPad, both included "standard" in the Microsoft operating system.
You ask me how to do it? It's that simple. First, locate the file inside the folder where you stored it, right click on its icon and select the item Open with from the proposed context menu.
Now, if you employ Windows 10, click on the item Other App located in the small panel that appears; if, on the other hand, you use Windows 8.1, click on the item Other options. Once this is done, remove the check mark from the item Always use this app to open .dat files and double-click on the icon WordPad, located in the proposed list, to view the contents of the file.
If you find yourself in the presence of indecipherable symbols, strange characters or anything else that cannot be read easily by the human eye, it is likely that the file in question does not contain text, but other information: it could, for example, be a 'image. In this case, instead of WordPad, select from the list Open with one of the image viewers present in the computer (eg. Paint or Windows Photo Viewer). More info here.
How to open .DAT files on Mac
The speech to be made for the Mac it is absolutely similar to that already seen for Windows PCs: even in this case, you can easily open a DAT file with presumably textual content using one of the text editors you have. In that regard, that's fine too TextEdit, the text manipulation software included “standard” in macOS.
To succeed in the enterprise, locate the .DAT file to act on within the Mac, right-click on its icon and select the menu Open with> TextEdit, to immediately open the file within the program mentioned earlier. If the latter does not appear in the list, after right clicking on the file, select the menu instead Open with> More ..., make sure the drop-down menu Ability: sia impostat his All applications and remove the check mark, if present, from the box next to the item Always open with.
Finally, locate the icon of TextEdit from the list in the left column of the window and wait for the file to be opened within the software. If you should see strange characters or indecipherable symbols, close TextEdit, repeat the procedure I told you about a moment ago and use, this time, the program Preview of macOS, to open the .DAT file.
How to open DAT files: smartphones and tablets
Do you need to open a document in DAT format from smartphones and tablets but you just don't have the faintest idea how to proceed? Don't worry, it can be done, just use the right app! The indications I am about to give you are valid to correctly view most of the DAT files; however, if the document of this type was emailed to you and it responds to the name of winmail.dat, I recommend that you read the final chapter of this guide directly, in which I will provide you with information that is valid in this specific case.
How to open DAT files on Android
If yours is an animated device from Android, check that you have previously installed a good app capable of reading (and possibly writing) texts. In this regard, you may find useful apps such as Text Viewer or Solid Explorer, a file manager with an integrated text reader. Both apps are free and available both on the Play Store and on the alternative stores dedicated to devices not equipped with Google services.
After choosing the app you prefer, search for it on the reference store on your smartphone or tablet, select the most relevant result and tap on the button dedicated toinstallation app, to download and install it. Now, start it and, if prompted, granted access to the device memory by pressing the appropriate button.
At this point you are ready to open the DAT file of your interest: locate it within the app through which you received it, tap on its preview, wait for the suggested apps panel at the bottom of Android and tap the button Other, located inside.
If necessary, remove the check mark from the box next to the entry Remember my choice / Always use this app e fai tap sull 'icon of the player you previously installed (eg. SE text editor, if you have chosen Solid Explorer), to open the file.
How to open DAT files on iOS and iPadOS
If, on the other hand, yours is a iPhone or a iPad, you can try to open the DAT file in question using a "universal" file manager, such as Readdle documents. If you had never heard of it, this is a free app (which, however, allows you to unlock additional additional functions, through in-app purchases) that can read files in different formats, including text, images, music and much more. . In most cases, it can easily display the contents of a DAT file.
To get it, open your device's App Store, search il name of the app in question (or follow this link) and, having reached the most relevant result, tap the button Get and authenticated via Face ID, Touch ID or Apple ID password, to download and install Readdle Documents. Once the installation is complete, tap the button apri to launch the app and, if requested, provide the memory access permissions, answering in the affirmative to the screen that is proposed to you.
Now, temporarily exit Documents, open the app that contains the .DAT file of your interest (eg. File) and tap on the preview of the latter; now, touch the symbol of sharing, That is, the quadrato with the freccia verso l'alto, tap on the icon Documents located in the panel that appears below and wait a few moments for the document to be correctly imported and opened within Documents. That's all!
How to open DAT file: Winmail
You received an email with a strange file attached, called winmail.dat o winmail.DAT? In this specific case, most likely, the solutions I indicated in the previous bars of this tutorial will not be useful to you. The reason is obvious: this precise type of file, called in jargon file TNEF, it is often generated automatically by Microsoft Outlook and, in general, by Exchange type e-mail servers (including, for example, Outlook.com).
Such documents are used as a vehicle for a series of special contents, such as forms and buttons contained in messages or, again, attachments to them. Therefore, to view the elements "embedded" in a TNEF and, consequently, in a .DAT file, you will need an ad-hoc viewer.
Among the many available, I would like to point out Winmail Opener for Windows (free), TNEF's Enough for macOS (free), Winmail.dat Opener for Android (free with ads), Winmail File Viewer for iOS / iPadOS (free with the possibility of purchasing in- app), or the winmaildat.com online viewer, accessible through any browser for PC, smartphone and tablet.
To learn more about the topic and to get specific information on how to use the solutions I listed a little while ago, take a look at my tutorial on how to open Winmail DAT files, in which I treated the topic with wealth of details.
How to open DAT File
