index.dat Viewer

index.dat Viewer is a compact tool designed to detect and read the content of the “index.dat” file created by Internet Explorer. It allows you to view detailed information about the websites accessed with the default Windows browser.
This index file is generated automatically by Internet Explorer in order to store the list of accessed resources. All the webpages, images, cookies and scripts are logged in this file which can provide you with greater details than the browser history.
While most users are not even aware of its existence, some of you might want to use the information for analysing the files loaded by the browser when accessing a certain website. All you need to do is locate the file and open it with a program that is able to read the information.
However, this might be easier said than done since the location of the file varies according to the Internet Explorer and the operating system version. Moreover, the file is stored in multiple folders which makes your job even harder.
This is where the index.dat Viewer comes to your aid. It automatically detects the index files stored on your computer and displays their content just by opening the application. It does not require an installation and you do not need to select the files manually although you can specify the folder in the Advanced menu.
The program has a simple interface that displays the links stored by Internet Explorer and the time of the access. Since the list is usually very long, the viewer allows you to filter the entries by using keywords. Unfortunately, you cannot use the filter to select a file type or a time interval.
In our tests, index.dat Viewer located and displayed the index.dat content on Windows XP and Windows 8. However, you cannot use the program on Windows 8 systems or with Internet Explorer 10 since they do not create this log file.
Whenever you need more details about your browsing history, index.dat Viewer can quickly display the data. However, if you need to delete or edit the files you should look for another solution.