What is an HTM file?
HTM stands for HyperText Markup Language. It was created by Tim Berners-Lee and first released in 1993. HTM and HTML are the same format. The three-letter extension dates from old Windows systems that only allowed three characters after the dot, and Word and Outlook still save web pages as .htm.
HTML is the same format under another extension.
| Type | document |
|---|---|
| Compression | Lossless |
| In a browser | opens in every web browser |
| Common uses | web pages saved from Word, Outlook and older Windows programs |
| MIME type | text/html |
Which format should you convert HTM to?
- HTM to TXT to get just the words, for copying, searching or pasting elsewhere.
- HTM to PDF for a fixed page to print or share.
How to open an HTM file
Whether an HTM file opens with a double click depends on the device. Here is what works on each, without buying software:
| Windows | Word or the free LibreOffice opens DOCX; any browser opens HTML; Notepad opens TXT and MD. |
|---|---|
| Mac | Pages or TextEdit open DOCX; Safari opens HTML; TextEdit opens TXT and MD. Apple Books opens EPUB. |
| iPhone and iPad | Pages, Word and the Files app open DOCX; Apple Books opens EPUB. |
| Android | Google Docs and Word open DOCX; Google Play Books opens EPUB. |
| Web browser | HTM opens in every web browser. |
Want the technical details? See what a .htm file is, with its MIME type, file signature and a viewer.
HTM compared with other document formats
How HTM stacks up against the formats people most often convert it to or from:
| Format | Compression | Usually contains | Released | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HTM | Lossless | text with tags for headings, lists, links, tables and images | 1993 | web pages saved from Word, Outlook and older Windows programs |
| DOCX | Lossless | formatted text, images, tables and styles in a ZIP of XML files | 2007 | letters, reports, CVs and most documents shared at work |
| TXT | Lossless | characters only, with no formatting | 1963 | notes, logs, extracted text and anything that must open everywhere |
| MD | Lossless | plain text with simple symbols for headings, lists, links and emphasis | 2004 | documentation, README files, notes and blogging tools |
| EPUB | Lossless | chapters as XHTML pages, with images and a table of contents | 2007 | e-books from stores other than Amazon and free e-book libraries |
How to use the HTM converter
- Choose the format you want in the Convert to menu.
- Drop your HTM files on the box, or press Choose HTM files. Several files can go in at once.
- Adjust the settings if you need to; the defaults suit most people.
- Press Convert and save each file with its Download button. The file is converted on our server and deleted as soon as the result is sent back.
Tips for converting HTM files without losing anything
Converting an HTM file keeps the words exactly; what can change is formatting and layout, depending on what the target format can hold.
- Keep the original document; exporting to plain text or HTML drops layout that cannot be added back.
- Use HTML or Markdown when you want to keep headings, lists and links, and TXT when you only need the words.
- For scanned documents, OCR is the only way to get text; converting the file format alone will not find words in an image.
- Save text as UTF-8 so every language is preserved.
- Check headings after converting to HTML or Markdown; they come from the styles used in the original, so manual bold text stays plain text.
- Plain text has no pages, so page numbers and headers from the original document are dropped.
- For long documents, convert once and search the text output rather than scrolling the original.
- Markdown and HTML both keep links, so check that relative links still point somewhere once the document moves.
Convert HTM files from the command line
pandoc does the same on your own computer, with LibreOffice for the last step:
pandoc input.htm -o output.docx
soffice --headless --convert-to doc output.docxConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
HTM converter FAQ
What is an HTM file?
HTM stands for HyperText Markup Language, an alternative extension for a document format created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1993. HTM and HTML are the same format. The three-letter extension dates from old Windows systems that only allowed three characters after the dot, and Word and Outlook still save web pages as .htm.
How do I open an HTM file?
HTM opens in every web browser. If the program you need will not open it, convert it to a more widely supported format above.
What is the most common HTM conversion?
HTM to DOC is the conversion people search for most. The page is read by pandoc, the open-source document converter, on our conversion server: headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, links, bold and italic, and written as a DOCX with Word's own styles, which LibreOffice then saves as a Word 97 to 2003 document.
Does converting HTM files here upload them?
Yes. HTM conversions need pandoc, LibreOffice and Chromium, open-source programs that cannot run in a browser, so they run on our conversion server. The file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept.
Is the HTM converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Conversions that use our server accept files up to 25 MB, with a fair-use limit per hour. The site is supported by advertising.
Can I convert HTM files on iPhone or Android?
Yes. Open this page in Safari on iPhone and iPad, or in Chrome on Android, choose your HTM files and download the results to your Downloads folder.
Can I convert several HTM files at once?
Yes. Drop as many as you like; they are converted one after another, each with its own download button.