How to Open IDX Files

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

An IDX file is an index file extension commonly used in Windows to speed up the search process in a database, or to quickly retrieve and sort files in directories. IDX files are also commonly used in DVDs and movie files that contain subtitles. Most Windows and Mac computers as well as iOS/Android phones or tablets will automatically open IDX files using the program the files originated from. However, if an IDX file won't open on your computer, phone, or tablet, you can try opening the file using the VideoLAN VLC media player, which can open and support most types of IDX files.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Opening IDX Files

PDF download Download Article
  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/fb\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/fb\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-1.jpg\/aid6474887-v4-728px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    The file will automatically open in Notepad on Windows, or in TextEdit on Mac OS X.
    • If the IDX file fails to open, proceed to the next step.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/18\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/18\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-2.jpg\/aid6474887-v4-728px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    ”
    • If using Mac OS X, select “Get Info,” then click on “Open With.”
    Advertisement
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/72\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/72\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-3.jpg\/aid6474887-v4-728px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    WordPad, Notepad, and TextEdit are examples of text editing programs that can open IDX files. [1]
    • If the IDX file still does not open, proceed to the next step.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/05\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/05\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-4.jpg\/aid6474887-v4-728px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    ”
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/7c\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/7c\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-5.jpg\/aid6474887-v4-728px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    In some cases, you may be able to open the IDX file using the program that created the file. For example, if the IDX file originated from Microsoft Outlook Express, you can launch Outlook Express on your computer, and attempt to open the IDX file using Outlook Express.
  6. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/38\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-6.jpg\/v4-460px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-6.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/38\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-6.jpg\/aid6474887-v4-728px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-6.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    [2]
    • If the IDX file fails to open, follow the steps outlined in method two of this article to open the file using VideoLAN's VLC media player.
    7. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Using VideoLAN VLC Media Player

PDF download Download Article
  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/eb\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-7.jpg\/v4-460px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/eb\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-7.jpg\/aid6474887-v4-728px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Navigate to VideoLAN's official website at http://www.videolan.org/ .
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/45\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-8.jpg\/v4-460px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-8.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/45\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-8.jpg\/aid6474887-v4-728px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-8.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/79\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-9.jpg\/v4-460px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-9.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/79\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-9.jpg\/aid6474887-v4-728px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-9.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Double-click on the installer file to launch the VideoLAN installation wizard, and follow the on-screen prompts to install the media player on your computer. The application will automatically launch when installation is complete.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/da\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-10.jpg\/v4-460px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-10.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/da\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-10.jpg\/aid6474887-v4-728px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-10.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    ” The “open file” dialog box will display on-screen.
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/cc\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-11.jpg\/v4-460px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-11.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/cc\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-11.jpg\/aid6474887-v4-728px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-11.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
  6. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a4\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-12.jpg\/v4-460px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-12.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/a4\/Open-IDX-Files-Step-12.jpg\/aid6474887-v4-728px-Open-IDX-Files-Step-12.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    ” The IDX file you selected will open and display within the VideoLAN media player. [3]
    7. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      • In most cases, IDX files will fail to open on your computer if there are no programs installed that can identify with the file type. The most effective way to open an IDX file is to determine the origin of the file, and open the file using the program that generated the file.
        Thanks
      • If you want to use an alternative third-party program to open IDX files, try using PowerDVD by Cyberlink at http://www.cyberlink.com/downloads/trials/powerdvd-ultra/download_en_US.html . The application is not free at this time, but does offer a free 30-day trial period, during which you can use the program to open IDX files.
        Thanks
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Open BIN Files
      How to
      Use Winrar to Fix Corrupted RAR and ZIP Archives
      How to Extract a GZ File on Windows, Linux, Mac, & Mobile
      4 Simple Ways to Scan and Save Documents
      How to
      Open DLL Files
      How to
      Compress Large Files
      How to
      Install APK Files on Android
      How to
      Open a DAT File
      How to
      Open TMP Files
      3 Quick Ways to Convert a DOC or DOCX File to a JPEG
      How to Transfer Files to an SD Card on Android
      How to
      Insert a Multiple Page PDF Into a Word Document
      How to
      Clear up Unnecessary Files on Your PC
      How to Use 7-Zip to Compress Files to the Smallest Size
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ http://extension.nirsoft.net/idx
      2. ↑ http://files.avanquest.com/file-extension-idx/
      3. ↑ https://wiki.videolan.org/Documentation:Open_Media/

      About This Article

      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 187,990 times.

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement