Modifying DLL files in Visual Studio

Most ordinary users rarely need to edit DLL files. But if you’re a computer programmer, you’ll probably want to modify DLL files to reverse engineer certain programs, extract icons, hack software, or simply see how programs work. about the content. Microsoft Visual Studio allows users to open and edit certain parts of DLL files. If you want to change the code in the DLL file, you’ll need to use a decompiler to extract the code from the file. This wikiHow teaches you how to open and edit DLL files with Visual Studio.

Table of Contents

Can I edit DLL files in Visual Studio?

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You can open and modify certain DLL resources in Visual Studio. With Visual Studio, we can add, extract or delete certain text or graphic resources, but you cannot change the functionality of the DLL file. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Can I use Visual Studio to edit the code?

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In most cases not. Most DLL files do not contain editable source code. The code in most DLL files has been translated into binary or machine code.

If the DLL file contains some intermediate language (IL for short), you can view the IL code with the IL Disassembler tool that is included with Visual Studio. In addition, CIL Disassembler is also an option to view common intermediate languages in DLL files. While CIL Disassembler does not come with Visual Studio, you can download it for free from the Microsoft Store.
If a certain DLL file is not working properly and needs to be edited, you can do so by editing the original source code used to create the DLL file. This will be a separate code file. You can use the original source code to create a new DLL file that replaces the inactive DLL file.

What if I can’t access the original source code?

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You can try to recompile that source code with a decompiler. This software can extract machine language from DLL file and convert it into a higher level language, such as C++ or C#.

Important Note: Any code that you extract from a DLL file with a decompiler is just a rebuild. There is no guarantee that this data will match the original source code. If you replace the DLL file with code extracted from the decompiler, double-check to make sure that all programs that depend on the DLL file are still operating properly.

How to open DLL files in Visual Studio?

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You can easily open DLL files in Visual Studio just like you would with any other file. First, click File in the top menu bar and then select Open . Then, click File and select the DLL file you want to open by clicking Open . The DLL file will open in the Resource Editor window. Or you can also perform the following steps to open the DLL file: ^{[2] X Research Source}

Check to make sure that Visual Studio is installed.
Press Win + E to open File Explorer .
Go to the folder containing the DLL file you want to open.
Right click on the folder and select Open with Visual Studio .
Expand the folder in the Spution Explorer window to the right.
Double-click the DLL file you want to open.

How to add new resources to DLL file?

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You can easily add new resources to DLL files in Visual Studio. These resources include keyboard shortcut accelerators, bitmaps, cursors, dialog boxes, menus, HTML files, audio files (.wav), string tables, and version numbers. Following are the steps to add new resources to the DLL file.

Open the DLL file in Visual Studio.
Right-click the folder where you want to add the resource in the Resource Editor window.
Click Add Resource .
Double-click the resource type you want to add, or click Import to import the existing file.
Click File
Click Save [filename].dll to overwrite the file, or click Save [filename].dll as to save a copy. Where filename is the filename.

How to delete resources in DLL file?

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You can do it easily through Visual Studio. Important Note: Editing or deleting content in a DLL file can cause programs that depend on the file to function properly. Don’t forget to save a copy of the DLL file you’re about to edit. Here are the steps to delete resources in a DLL file:

Open the DLL file in Visual Studio.
Expand the folder containing the resource you want to delete in the Resource Editor window.
Right-click the resource you want to delete and select Delete .
Click File
Click Save [filename].dll to overwrite the file or Save [filename].dll as to save a copy.

How to create new DLL file in Visual Studio?

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You can easily create DLL files through Visual Studio with your own source code or source code extracted from a decompiled program. Here are the steps to create a new DLL file in Visual Studio: ^{[3] X Research Source}

Open Visual Studio .
Click Create New Project .
Type class in the search bar at the top.
Scroll down and select Class Library (.NET Framework) and then click Next .
Enter the project name and click Create .
Enter the code for the DLL file.
Click Build in the top menu bar.
Click Build Spution to create a new DLL file.
Check the Output window at the bottom to see where the newly created DLL file is located.

How to open DLL file with IL Disassembler tool?

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You can do it through the command prompt in developer mode (Developer Command Prompt). The IL Disassembler tool is installed with Visual Studio, which allows you to view the intermediate language (IL) and assembly language (assembly language or asm) in the DLL file. Following are the steps to open the DLL file in IL Disassembler:

Click the Windows Start menu.
Type Developer Command Prompt .
Click Developer Command Prompt for VS 2019 (or whatever version of Visual Studio you’re using.)
Type ILDASM.EXE and press Enter .
Drag and drop the DLL file into the IL Disassembler window.
Expand the filename under “MANIFEST” in the IL Disassembler window.
Click on the class or function name to view the assembly code.

How to decompile DLL files?

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You need to use a different decompiler program than Visual Studio. These programs can be converted to a higher level language, such as C++ or C#. Important Note: The code these programs extract is only the restored version and there is no guarantee that they match the original source code. Perform the following steps to decompile the DLL file: ^{[4] X Research Source}

Download and install the decompiler program. Some popular options include Reflector, dotPeek, and JustDecompile.
Open the decompiler.
Drag and drop the DLL file into the Decompiler program window.
Expand the file or program name in the box to the right.
Expand the program name next to the bracket icons.
Click on the function or class name to see the code.
Copy the code and paste it into the Visual Studio file, or click File and then select Export to Project .

How to register DLL files?

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Some DLL files need to be registered to work. You can register DLL files through the Run program. Here are the steps to register DLL files on Windows 10: ^{[5] X Research Source}

Press Win + R to open Run.
Enter regsvr32 next to “Open”.
Drag and drop the DLL file into the “Open” text box to add the path to the DLL file.
Add double quotes (” “) to the ends of the path to the DLL file.
Click OK .

Steps