how to open dat file attachment outlook [Solved]

Outlook users many times see their attachments in .dat file format and get stuck unable to open the attachment. By default there is no default application in windows to open a file in .dat file. So user end up in a pop up to chose the right app to open this file and will obviously fail trying all the given option.

open .dat file attachments

The cause for this is quite often the security systems or settings at the sender end. This scans the attachment for threat and end up being changing the original file extension. Let us see the possible solutions to open such attachments in .dat extension

From unknown ?Delete it straight away

we recommend you to delete it straight away If you receive this type of file from,

  1. an unknown person
  2. person who are not in a trusted sender or contacts list.

This can be turn out to be any file including a hack tool or virus.

Best Solution – Change the file extension

You can simply save the attachment from outlook anywhere on your PC and change the file extension type. That is, you have to change the example.dat file to example.pdf or example.doc, depending on the expected file format.

How to figure out file type ?

Best and time saving way will be to get in touch with sender to know in which format they sent. If you dont have a way to know what the file format is, then save the file as .txt format . Now open the file in wordpad or notepad. This programming like text will give you some clue on which type of file this could be

In case your windows do not show the file extension but only file name, you could enable it using this guide to enable file extension view

winmail.dat ? open file using application

If your attachment is winmail.dat , then you should use a winmail.dat opener application from your device store to view the content. The reason for you to receive this type of file is the sender using old version of microsoft outlook or exchange applications.

For apple mac users, there are many paid applications available on apple store. If you look for a lighter version with restricted features , you can use this winmail-dat-viewer-letter-opener-9

For android users , you have to download winmaildat opener app from Playstore and open the .dat file with this on prompt screen.

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