Opening a HIC File

The HIC file type is primarily associated with Juicebox.

HIC	File extension: HIC
	File type:	data file

What is a HIC file

HIC files mostly belong to Juicebox. HIC files hold Hi-C contact map data used in genome research to record interactions between different DNA regions.
These files are produced by Hi-C experiments that capture the spatial proximity of genomic elements. They can store data in an uncompressed form or use ZIP compression for smaller file sizes.
Tools like Juicer Tools and Juicebox process these files to generate contact maps that help researchers study the 3D structure of the genome.

Hi-C contact maps show the frequency of contacts between genome segments.

They are used in bioinformatics and genomic studies to understand chromatin organization.

Specialized software such as those provided by the Aiden Lab Juicebox is required to open and view these files.

FilExt.com note: If you have an HIC file, you need these tools to analyze the data, as basic text or image viewers do not support the file format.

How to open a HIC file

You need a suitable software like Juicebox to open a HIC 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 HIC file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a HIC file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online HIC Text Viewer

Choose your .hic file to analyze

or drag and drop it here

Online File Viewer

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Programs that open and convert HIC files:

Juicebox
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. HIC files are often referred to as Juicebox data files because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
HicEst (Script) by Georg Petrich, HicEst Instant Prototype Computing
HicEst is a Windows IDE programming tool with interpreter and compiler for technical/scientific numerics and text applications. This file format is classified as Source Code.
Spy-CD CD Search Database File

Technical Data for HIC File Extension

File classification:

Data

Related files:

bam, bed, fastq, vcf, cool, mcool, heic, jpg, txt, tms, pie, whs

Mime type:

text/x-clojure, application/octet-stream, image/x-homebrew-icon

a hic data file is a special file format and should only be edited and saved with the appropriate software.

How to solve problems with HIC files

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