What software opens DLL files for free? Top 7 options

DLL stands for Dynamic Link Library, this file type contains code and objects for Windows programs to refer to when needed to complete tasks. Unlike programs, DLLs are file types that you cannot launch or browse without special software, and DLL files cannot be opened in a text editor to view code. If you want to explore the contents of a DLL file, you can try one of the handy free tools below to evaluate, decompile, edit, and extract multimedia content from DLL files. Note: it is not recommended to modify the DLL file being used by a certain program, otherwise the program may crash.

Table of Contents

Resource Hacker

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Resource Hacker allows you to browse for icons, images, and other multimedia content inside DLL files. If your goal is to collect specific content from a DLL file (which includes audio and video), Resource Hacker makes it easy. The program has a simple interface that even allows you to edit DLL content with a plain text editor and also a binary editor.

Resource Hacker can be downloaded for free at http://www.angusj.com/resourcehacker.

Resource Tuner 2

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Try Resource Tuner 2 if you want to view, edit and extract a lot of multimedia content from DLL files. This tool is very similar to Resource Hacker, but with some additional features such as extracting many additional file types (including PNG format). The downside of Resource Tuner 2 is that it only has a 30-day free trial. After that time, you need to pay to continue using the service.

You can download a 30-day trial version of Resource Tuner 2 at http://www.restuner.com/download.htm.

Dependencies

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If you just want to browse the list of all required components of a DLL file, use Dependencies. Based on the once popular tool Dependency Walker, and once included with Microsoft’s Visual Studio, Dependencies can scan DLL files and display a hierarchy of all required dependencies and files. . ^{[1] X Research Source} This program does not allow decompilation or editing, but is very suitable for fixing DLL file errors.

Dependencies can be downloaded for free at https://github.com/lucasg/Dependencies.

ILSpy

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If you want to see the code that makes up the DLL, you need a decompiler like ILSpy. Besides Windows, this .NET decompiler is also available for Linux and macOS. This is open source decompiled software and is actively maintained. ^{[2] X Research Source} You can use ILSpy to browse the contents of a DLL file, decompile it into Visual Basic, and save the code as a C# project.

You can download the standalone ILSpy program at https://github.com/icsharpcode/ILSpy.
Go to https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=SharpDevelopTeam.ILSpy to get the Visual Studio plug-in.

decompiler dotPeek

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This free standalone decompiler comes from JetBrains and is another option if you want to see the DLL’s code. If your aim is to turn a .NET DLL file into the equivalent C# or IL code, dotPeek is a fully featured decompiler with a simple interface. The decompiler also allows you to save the code as a .csproj file, which you can open, edit, and recompile in Visual Studio. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

You can download dotPeek at https://www.jetbrains.com/decompiler.

HxD Hex Editor

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This hex editor for Windows allows you to directly edit the hex code of DLL files. The DLL file contains compiled code so it cannot be edited with a traditional editor. If you don’t want to decompile the DLL file and edit the linked source files, you can use a hex editor to edit the contents of the binary. Although there are many hex code editors to choose from, HxD also has the ability to compare the hex codes of two different files.

You can download HxD Hex Editor at https://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=1454.
Note: the hex code is basically just the numbers 0 and 1, so you won’t be able to edit any code with an editor like HxD.

Dumpbin

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If you have Visual Studio, use the dumpbin command to view information about the DLL. Dumpbin is a part of Visual Studio (which includes the free Community edition) that is able to display information about DLL files. ^{[4] X Research Source} You need to execute the dumpbin command from the Visual Studio command prompt, not the Windows command prompt. To check the DLL file with the command, use the syntax dumpbin [optional] filename.dll . Here are some useful options:

Use dumpbin /DEPENDENTS filename.dll to see all dependencies. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
Use dumpbin /HEADERS filename.dll to view the headers of each member object. ^{[6] X Research Source}
Use dumpbin /EXPORTS filename.dll to see the full definition exported from the DLL file. ^{[7] X Research Sources}
Visit https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/build/reference/dumpbin-options?view=msvc-170 for a list of all options for the dumpbin command.

Steps