---
title: ".html file — what it is and how to open it"
description: "A .html file is a HyperText Markup Language. A web page — plain text marked up with tags, rendered by any browser. How to open one on Windows, macOS and Linux, and what to convert it to."
url: https://atoneplace.net/file/html/
site: "At One Place"
---

# .html files

**.html file: HyperText Markup Language**

A web page — plain text marked up with tags, rendered by any browser.

## What opens a .html file

- **Windows:** Any web browser, Visual Studio Code, Notepad (built in)
- **macOS:** Any web browser, Visual Studio Code, TextEdit (built in)
- **Linux:** Any web browser, Visual Studio Code, Text Editor (built in)
- **In a browser:** Any web browser, CodePen

## What a .html file is

HTML is the markup language every web page is written in, standardised by the WHATWG. Double-clicking a .html file opens it in your browser; opening it in a text editor shows the tags. A saved page usually comes with a matching _files folder holding its images and stylesheets, and moving the .html away from that folder is why saved pages so often look broken.

## Converting it

A .html file is commonly converted to .pdf, .md, .docx, .txt or .mhtml. It is a plain text format, so any text editor can open and edit it directly.

## Details

- **Extension:** .html
- **Full name:** HyperText Markup Language
- **Category:** Code and scripts
- **MIME type:** text/html
- **Created by:** WHATWG / W3C
- **Format:** Plain text

## Common questions

### How do I open a .html file?

On Windows use Any web browser; on macOS use Any web browser; on Linux use Any web browser. A web page — plain text marked up with tags, rendered by any browser.

### What is a .html file?

HyperText Markup Language. HTML is the markup language every web page is written in, standardised by the WHATWG. Double-clicking a .html file opens it in your browser; opening it in a text editor shows the tags.

### Can I convert a .html file?

Yes. It is usually converted to .pdf, .md, .docx, .txt or .mhtml, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.

## Related pages

- [.js — JavaScript Source](https://atoneplace.net/file/js/)
- [.css — Cascading Style Sheet](https://atoneplace.net/file/css/)
- [.py — Python Source](https://atoneplace.net/file/py/)
- [.java — Java Source](https://atoneplace.net/file/java/)
- [.tsx — TypeScript Source (JSX)](https://atoneplace.net/file/tsx/)
- [.cpp — C++ Source](https://atoneplace.net/file/cpp/)
- [.php — PHP Source](https://atoneplace.net/file/php/)
- [.c — C Source](https://atoneplace.net/file/c/)
- [.cs — C# Source](https://atoneplace.net/file/cs/)
- [.go — Go Source](https://atoneplace.net/file/go/)
- [.rs — Rust Source](https://atoneplace.net/file/rs/)
- [.rb — Ruby Source](https://atoneplace.net/file/rb/)

## Sources

- Media Types Registry — IANA (https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/)
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)