How to Open HTML Files: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

HTML files contain the code that builds webpages. When you click on a link or type a web address into your browser, you’re opening and displaying an HTML file. But you may also need to open HTML files on your own computer, like if you downloaded a webpage or want to edit the code. This guide will show you the different ways to open HTML files for viewing or editing using common software on Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android.

What is an HTML File?

HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language HTML files are text documents that contain code and text. The code tells web browsers how to structure and display the content For example, HTML code can make text bold, create links, insert images, build tables, and more. Without HTML, webpages would just be walls of plain text.

HTML files end in .html or .htm. They are the standard format for building webpages and the only file type browsers can open and display properly. Other formats like .pdf or .doc can’t be displayed as webpages.

When you view the raw code in an HTML file, it looks messy and hard to understand. But web browsers know how to interpret the code and render it visually. For example, this line of HTML code:

<strong>This text is bold</strong>

Will display like this in a browser:

This text is bold

The angle brackets < > tell the browser that code is coming. The strong tags make the text in between them bold.

Open HTML Files in a Browser

Web browsers are designed to open and display HTML files. The most common browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge will all work perfectly.

To open an HTML file in a browser:

1. Find the HTML file on your computer. It will end in .html or .htm.

2. Right click the file and choose Open With. Pick a browser from the menu.

3. The browser will launch and render the HTML code into a webpage.

This method lets you view the webpage but not edit the HTML source code. For that, keep reading.

View HTML Code in a Text Editor

While browsers can display HTML files, they can’t edit the source code. For that you need a text editor like Notepad or TextEdit. These come free with Windows and Mac.

To open an HTML file in a text editor:

1. Open Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on Mac.

2. Click File > Open and browse to your HTML file.

3. The raw HTML code will appear. You can view and edit it in the text editor.

The downside to Notepad and TextEdit is they have limited formatting and code editing capabilities. For more robust HTML editing, use Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, or Atom.

Edit HTML in a Dedicated Code Editor

For frequent HTML work, use an app designed specifically for web development:

• Windows: Notepad++, Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text
• Mac: TextWrangler, BBEdit, Visual Studio Code
• Linux: Bluefish, Quanta Plus, Vim

These code editors provide features like:

• Code highlighting and color coding
• Auto-completion of HTML tags and attributes
• Tools to format, indent, and clean up code
• Live browser preview of code changes
• Support for CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and other web languages

The power features speed up coding and make it easier to write valid HTML. Most of the apps have a learning curve, but are worth it for regular web work.

Here’s an example comparing Notepad and Visual Studio Code displaying the same HTML code:

![HTML code comparison][]

Visual Studio Code adds color coding, indenting, and other useful formatting.

Open HTML Files on iPhone and Android

Opening HTML files on mobile devices works the same as on a computer – just use a browser.

On an iPhone or Android phone:

1. Download or transfer the HTML file to the mobile device.

2. Tap the file. Choose a browser app like Chrome or Firefox. Avoid option like “Open in Notes” which won’t render the code properly.

3. The browser will launch and display the HTML content. Pinch and zoom to read the page.

For editing HTML code on mobile, use a developer code editor like Coda (iOS) or Turbo Editor (Android).

Convert HTML to PDF

Sometimes you may want to convert a webpage or HTML file to PDF format for easy sharing or printing.

Here are 3 ways to convert HTML to PDF:

1. Print to PDF: Open the HTML file in a browser. Go to Print and select “Save as PDF” or “Print to PDF”.

2. Online Converter: Upload the HTML file to a free online converter to generate a PDF.

3. Desktop Software: Use a PDF printer like CutePDF (Windows) or preview’s built-in tools (Mac). This will convert any open HTML file to PDF format.

The benefit of PDF format is it maintains the webpage layout and works on any device. The downside is PDFs are not editable like the original HTML source.

Troubleshooting Tips

Here are some troubleshooting tips in case you have problems opening an HTML file:

• Make sure the file actually ends in .html or .htm. Other extensions like .php won’t open properly in a browser.
• Try a different browser if the file doesn’t open. It could be a browser configuration issue.
• Open the file in a text editor to check for problems with the HTML syntax that could prevent rendering.
• Google the specific error message you are getting for solutions. Common issues are easy to fix.
• Scan for malware if you can’t open HTML files on a system that used to work. Viruses can break file associations.
• Reinstall or update your browser if HTML files suddenly stop working everywhere. This can reset broken settings.
• As a last resort, reset default programs in Windows or reinstall the browser. This clears any faulty app configurations.