HQX File

What are HQX files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a HQX file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your HQX files.

What is a HQX file?

A .HQX file is a BinHex 4 compressed file.

Files that contain the .hqx file extension are Macintosh BinHex 4 Compressed Archive files. These files contain information that has been compressed into a 7-bit binary text format from an 8-bit format.

The HQX file format was created so that both forks of a Macintosh file could be bundled into a single file container. This makes it easier to transfer large images, documents, and multimedia files across the Internet.

The HQX file format was created for Mac computers and this particular file format is not used in the Windows operating environment. The files can be recognized by the message that is placed in the first line of the file. The first line of each HQX file states "This file must be converted with BinHex 4.0.". Still, there are Windows programs available that can extract the content of these files.

How to open HQX files

We have identified two HQX openers that are compatible with this specific type of HQX file.

Programs that open BinHex 4 compressed files

Last updated: February 24, 2023

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