How do I View Registered DLLs?

A DLL is a Dynamic Link Library. These are small files that are used by Microsoft operating systems. Each DLL file contains functions and data that can be shared across many different applications. DLL's are small, but necessary files, it should be noted that they can be used by multiple applications at one time.


Generally speaking, there are two main ways to view registered DLL files; the first is to change your file view settings on your operating system, so that it will show you all files- including those files that are hidden or are considered system files. The second way to view registered DLL files is to use a third party program- usually a text file viewer application or text file editor.

Change Your File View Settings
Using this method, you will need to change your file view settings to include showing hidden files and system files. You can easily follow the steps below to accomplish this task:

Step 1. Select My Computer
Step 2. Once My Computer opens up, select the Tools menu and then choose Folder Options
Step 3. Once in Folder Options select the View tab. About half way down, you should see options for hidden files and folders along with radio buttons next to each option
Step 4. Select Show Hidden Files and Folders. Make sure that the option for Hide extensions for known file types is not selected.
Step 5. Once all changes have been made, select OK
At this point, your DLL files should now be visible on your computer and can be easily viewed in Windows Explorer.

Using a Text File Viewer or Text File Editor
Another way to view DLL files is with a third party text file viewer or text file editor. There are literally hundreds of these tools available for free on the web that can easily be found with a quick search. It should be noted that if you are not an experienced programmer, you should opt only to use a text file viewer, any changes you make- even the simplest change such as a word wrap will corrupt your DLL file.