A web page saved as one file, with its text, images and styling packed inside. The format is MHTML (MIME HTML), defined in RFC 2557.

Is MHT the same as MHTML?

Yes. .mht and .mhtml are two extensions for the same format.

What program opens MHT files?

Chrome and Microsoft Edge open them, especially files they saved themselves. Word opens MHT files saved from Word. The free EmailNa EML viewer also shows them in any browser.

How do I convert an MHT file to PDF?

Open it in Chrome or Edge, press Ctrl+P, choose Save as PDF and click Save.

Why does my MHT file look broken in Chrome?

Chrome and Edge often can't fully display MHT files made by other programs, such as Internet Explorer or business software. Try the EML viewer, Word, or ask your IT team about Internet Explorer mode in Edge.

Is an MHT file the same as an EML file?

They share the same MIME structure, but an .eml file holds an email message and an .mht file holds a saved web page.

What is an MHT (MHTML) file? How to open and convert one

An MHT file is a whole web page saved as one file: the text, the pictures and the styling, packed together. It uses the same MIME structure as an email, which is why email tools can often read it. Here is what is inside one, how to open it, and how to turn it into a PDF.

By David Ray · Updated October 30, 2026 · 6 min read · How we research

Quick answer

An .mht or .mhtml file is a web archive: a saved web page with its images and stylesheets stored inside the same file. The format, MHTML (MIME HTML), is defined in RFC 2557. To make a PDF, open it in Chrome or Edge, press Ctrl+P and choose Save as PDF.

What an MHT file is

A normal saved web page is an HTML file plus a folder of pictures and stylesheets. Move the HTML file without the folder and the page breaks. An MHT file solves that by putting everything in one file. Open it later and the page looks the way it did when it was saved, even offline.

The format is called MHTML, short for MIME HTML. Its rules are in RFC 2557, "MIME Encapsulation of Aggregate Documents, such as HTML (MHTML)", published in March 1999 as a proposed internet standard. It replaced an earlier version, RFC 2110.

.mht and .mhtml are the same format. Only the extension differs. Microsoft Office lists both together (*.mht; *.mhtml) as "Single File Web Page".

You usually meet MHT files in three places:

Saved web pages from Microsoft Edge, Chrome or the old Internet Explorer.
Office documents saved for the web. Word, Excel and PowerPoint can save a file as a "Single File Web Page".
Reports exported by business software, because one file is easy to email and archive.

Why an MHT file looks like an email

MHTML was designed for email. RFC 2557 describes how to send an HTML page and the pictures it uses as one multipart/related MIME message, and adds a Content-Location header so the page can find each picture by its web address. Web browsers later borrowed the same packaging to save pages.

So the inside of an MHT file has the same shape as an .eml file. This is the top of one that Chrome saved (the address and boundary are shortened):

From: <Saved by Blink>
Snapshot-Content-Location: https://example.com/recipe
Subject: Lemon cake
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2026 16:47:02 -0400
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/related;
	type="text/html";
	boundary="----MultipartBoundary--cOyrhFyP----"

------MultipartBoundary--cOyrhFyP----
Content-Type: text/html
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Location: https://example.com/recipe

<!DOCTYPE html><html><head>...

Email-style headers come first. Then each part of the page follows a boundary line: the HTML first, then every image and stylesheet, each with its own Content-Type and Content-Location. Pictures are stored as base64 text, just like email attachments. (Blink is the engine inside Chrome and Edge.)

The difference is what the file is for. An .eml file is a message that was sent to someone. An MHT file is a snapshot of a page, and nobody "sent" it. Our guide to email encoding explains base64 and quoted-printable if you want the detail.

How to open an MHT file

In Chrome or Microsoft Edge: drag the file into a browser window, or press Ctrl+O (⌘+O on a Mac) and choose it. This works well for pages that Chrome or Edge saved themselves. Two limits are worth knowing, according to Eric Lawrence, a former Edge and Chrome engineer: Chromium often can't fully display MHT files made by other programs, and in any MHT file it shows, scripts don't run and forms are switched off.

Old Internet Explorer files at work: some businesses still have MHT reports that only display properly in Internet Explorer. Microsoft Edge can open local .mht files in Internet Explorer mode, but that is controlled by policies your IT team sets, not by a switch in normal settings.

In Microsoft Word: if the file was saved from Word as a "Single File Web Page", you can open it again in Word with File › Open and keep editing it.

In your browser, with no install: the free EML viewer at ListaFix also opens .mht files. It shows the page with the pictures and styling stored in the file, removes any scripts, and doesn't load anything from the internet unless you allow remote images.

How to save a page as MHTML

Microsoft Edge: press Ctrl+S (or Save page as in the menu) and pick the single-file web page option in the "Save as type" list.
Google Chrome: Ctrl+S saves the current page. Whether a single-file (MHTML) option appears in the list depends on your Chrome version and system, so check the "Save as type" menu. If it isn't there, save as PDF instead.
Word, Excel and PowerPoint: use Save As and choose Single File Web Page (*.mht; *.mhtml) as the file type. Menu names vary between Office versions.

For something you want to keep for years or send to someone else, a PDF is usually the safer choice. Almost every device opens a PDF, while MHT support depends on the browser.

How to convert an MHT file to PDF

Open the MHT file in Chrome or Edge (drag it into the window).
Press Ctrl+P (⌘+P on a Mac) to print.
Set the printer or destination to Save as PDF, then click Save.

The PDF keeps real, searchable text, not a picture of the page. If the page came from Word, you can also open it in Word and use Save As › PDF. If you have an email (.eml) rather than a web page, our guide to saving an email as a PDF covers Gmail and Outlook.

Is it safe to open an MHT file?

An MHT file is a web page, so it can contain anything a web page can, including scripts and links to other sites. Chrome and Edge don't run scripts in MHT files, which lowers the risk. The old Internet Explorer engine is a different story: Lawrence notes that because of the security risk, since Edge 118 a downloaded MHT file no longer opens in Internet Explorer mode automatically unless a policy allows it.

Treat an unexpected MHT file the way you would an unexpected attachment: don't open it if you weren't expecting it, and never type passwords into a page that came in a file. If it arrived by email, check whether the email is legit first.

Questions people ask

What is an MHT file?: A web page saved as one file, with its text, images and styling packed inside. The format is MHTML (MIME HTML), defined in RFC 2557.
Is MHT the same as MHTML?: Yes. .mht and .mhtml are two extensions for the same format.
What program opens MHT files?: Chrome and Microsoft Edge open them, especially files they saved themselves. Word opens MHT files saved from Word. The free EmailNa EML viewer also shows them in any browser.
How do I convert an MHT file to PDF?: Open it in Chrome or Edge, press Ctrl+P, choose Save as PDF and click Save.
Why does my MHT file look broken in Chrome?: Chrome and Edge often can't fully display MHT files made by other programs, such as Internet Explorer or business software. Try the EML viewer, Word, or ask your IT team about Internet Explorer mode in Edge.
Is an MHT file the same as an EML file?: They share the same MIME structure, but an .eml file holds an email message and an .mht file holds a saved web page.

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