Opening HTA Files

The HTA file type is primarily associated with Internet Explorer.

HTA	File extension: HTA
	File type:	application

What is an HTA file?

HTA files mostly belong to Internet Explorer by Microsoft. A HTA file is a graphical user interface program built with HTML, Dynamic HTML, CSS, and a scripting language like JavaScript or Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript). Windows desktop treats a HTA file like an EXE file executed as a fully trusted application. When a user double clicks a HTA file in a Windows environment, the mshta program bundled with Internet Explorer instantiates the browser's rendering engine and renders the HTA application as a standalone program window instead of a browser tab. Internet Explorer has been discontinued and HTA format is obsolete.

How to open an HTA file

You need a suitable software like Internet Explorer to open an HTA file. Without proper software you will receive a Windows message "How do you want to open this file?" or "Windows cannot open this file" or a similar Mac/iPhone/Android alert. If you cannot open your HTA file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a HTA file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online HTA File Viewer

Choose your .hta file to view this image

or drag and drop it here

Online File Viewer

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How to convert an HTA file to EXE, BAT, BIN, VBS, JS, ...

If you want to convert or edit an HTA file, you can use our free Online HTA File Converter (powered by Convert.Guru):

To do this, click the button "Choose your .hta file to view this image" on this page.
After your file is opened in browser,
click "Save as..." in the menu.
Then select the file format (e.g. EXE, BAT, BIN, VBS, JS, ...) you want.
Download the converted file.

Programs that open and convert HTA files:

Internet Explorer by Microsoft
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. HTA files are often referred to as Internet Explorer executables because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
XnView (thumbnail) by XnSoft
XnView is a cross-platform image viewer, editor, and organizer. It can open and display a HTA file containing the thumbnail of a HPI image provided by Hemera digital image provider. This file format is classified as Raster Image.

HTA file format:

Every file has a defined file format, i.e. how the data is arranged in the file. Each file format has a unique extension and almost always a unique signature. For example, Microsoft Word documents have the extension .docx and the signature (usually the first 3 characters in this file) PK. If the file extension or signature does not match the file format, errors will occur when opening or editing the file. Exact knowledge of the format is therefore important in order to solve problems occurring in files. Our examination of the HTA files comes to the following conclusion:

The HTA file extension is rather rarely used and includes various formats for various programs. However, the following two file formats are common:

65% of all HTA files use the popular HTML file format. HTML is short for HyperText Markup Language. It is the standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser. The content consists of readable text data, which can be read using a text editor. HTA files can be up to 2 MB in size, but are often around 640 bytes - 44 KB. The file type was created 10 years ago, but is still used today. Certain words are almost always found in the files, such as <html>, <head>, title, script and APPLICATIONNAME. The file name homepage.hta is typical for these files.
6% of all HTA files save the data in XML file format. The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a simple text-based format for representing structured information: documents, webpages, data, configuration, books, transactions, invoices, and much more. XML defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. If you open these files in a text editor, you can view and read the content yourself. HTA files can be up to 1.7 KB in size, but are often around 1.7 KB - 1.7 KB. Several words can almost always be found in the files, e.g. <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">, <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>, <hea and <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">. The file name start.hta is typical for these files.

All the rest of the HTA files (29%) have different formats, such as script. Often described as index, passwordp or setup. Just click the "Choose your .hta file to view this image" button on this page to find out what your HTA file is.

Technical Data for HTA File Extension

File classification:

Executable

Related files:

exe, lnk, html, htm, reg, txt, zip, partial, tmp, htc

Related links:

HTML Application

Mime type:

text/html, application/hta

The following listing is compiled from the database produced by the 'Associate This!' program, selected data from the main FILExt database and file extension information submitted by users.

ProgramID: htafile, FileType: HTML Application, AppName: Microsoft (R) HTML Application host
EXEFile: mshta.exe

ProgramID: htafile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\AnalogX\Script Defender\sdefend.exe %1 %*

ProgramID: htafile
EXEFile: %SystemRoot%\System32\mshta.exe %1 %*

ProgramID: htafile
EXEFile: D:\WINDA\System32\mshta.exe %1 %*

ProgramID: htfile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Windows NT\HYPERTRM.EXE %1

ProgramID: htafile
EXEFile: %SystemRoot%2\System32\mshta.exe %1 %*

ProgramID: htafile
EXEFile: %SystemRoot%\SYSTEM32\mshta.exe %1

ProgramID: htafile
EXEFile: D:\WINXP\System32\mshta.exe %1 %*

ProgramID: pnphtafile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\A Tech Group\Professional Notepad\notepad.exe %1

ProgramID: htafile
EXEFile: C:\WINXP\System32\mshta.exe %1 %*

ProgramID: XnView.Image
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\XnView\xnview.exe %1

ProgramID: HTAFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Script Sentry\ScriptSentry.exe %1 %*

ProgramID: htafile
EXEFile: %SystemRoot%.1\System32\mshta.exe %*

ProgramID: htafile
EXEFile: %SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\mshta.exe %*

ProgramID: htafile
EXEFile: %SystemRoot%1\system32\mshta.exe %*

ProgramID: htafile
EXEFile: %SystemRoot%C\system32\mshta.exe %*

ProgramID: htafile
EXEFile: %SystemRoot%.0\SysWOW64\mshta.exe %*

Show all 17 listings To Top

an hta application is a special file format by Microsoft and should only be edited and saved with the appropriate software.

How to solve problems with HTA files

Associate the HTA file extension with the correct application.
Update your software that should actually open applications. Because only the current version supports the latest HTA file format. Search, therefore, e.g. on the Microsoft manufacturer website after an available Internet Explorer update.
To make sure that your HTA file is not corrupted or virus-infected, get the file again and scan it with Google's virustotal.com.
Click here to open your .HTA file online - secure, fast, and no downloads needed.