If you are someone who deals with different operating systems every day, it would be uncommon for you not to have used various file formats according to your required needs. But some files require a little more effort, especially when you aren’t opening them in their native environment.
Since many people run into these problems every day, we are here to provide a little help. In this guide, we will discuss CHM files and see how to open CHM files on Mac. But before we do that, let’s check out what a CHM file is.
Let’s get started.
What Are CHM Files
CHM, or in other words known as the Compiled Help Modules, is a file extension that has been designed to create and save data in a compressed HTML format. It is officially created by Microsoft and includes files like text, images, and hyperlinks.
Although CHM files often open in a web browser, some can be opened by using a CHM reading program or a CHM editor. These files are compressed via the LZX compression. Since there has been a major advancement in documentation, CHM is regarded as a retired format.
So, most of the software that can access these files are highly unmaintained and outdated.
How to Open CHM Files on Mac
Since CHM files are specifically created for the Windows operating system, you won’t be able to open them directly, but we have compiled two different methods that can be used to open CHM files on Mac.
1. Use CHM Reader
The first method on our list is simply to get a CHM reader and use it to open any CHM files on your Mac. Although there are many CHM readers available on the internet, we would recommend using Epub Reader as it can be easily found on the App Store and can read many formats including CHM, EPUB, PDF, RTF, ZIP, RAR, 7Zip, GZIP, TAR, CBZ, CBR.
Besides this, it also provides additional features like:
- Display table of contents
- Create notes
- Insert bookmark.
- Insert files via iTunes file share and desktop web browser
- Customize font size
So, once you are done with installing the application, simply head over to your respective file and open it via the Epub Reader. Just remember, since you are opening it with another application, there is a chance that it will affect the format of the file.
Related:
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2. Use CHM to PDF Converter
On the other hand, if you want to read CHM documents while maintaining their format, then converting them to PDF is the best choice. Besides protecting the document’s format, it also allows you to edit it according to your requirements.
So, if you want to edit the CHM file, then here are the steps that you should follow to open it:
- Head to the official website for PDFMaster to download and install the application.
- Once the installation finishes, open the application, select your respective CHM file and drop it into the application.
- Now select PDF Convert from the list of convertible formats. You can also select PDF Edit if you want to change some document parts.
- Once done, select Create and let the conversion process finish.
Congrats, you have successfully converted your CHM files to PDF format.
Are CHM Files Safe
Although CHM files were considered relatively safe back in the day, after some recent research, it has been uncovered that there have been multiple loopholes in Windows 10 that can be exploited via Microsoft’s CHM extensions.
It has been found that malicious individuals can trick Windows into installing various trojans and viruses into the system using hyperlinks and attachments, which are a core component of CHM files.
So to keep users on the safe side, Microsoft has slowly retired this file extension, and now it is rarely used among Windows users. In addition, most of the software capable of running CHM files have either been removed or have stopped maintenance checks.
Related:
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How to Open CHM Files on Android
Since the CHM file extension was created specifically for Windows, you will have to install an additional application to read or rewrite the content within these files. Luckily, similar to Windows, Android also provides a lot of freedom to its users.
There are many CHM readers currently available for Android that can be used to provide the same results as any other operating system. Some of the most popular applications to execute this task include:
- FBReader: supports ePUB, FB2, Plucker, HTML, Plain Text, Doc and more.
- CoolReader: supports multiple electronic books, including CHM.
- Moon Reader: supports HTML, TXT, ePUB, Mobi, PDF, FB2, UMD, CHM, CBZ, and more.
- SuperCHM: supports CHM.
How to Open CHM Files on Windows
Unlike the other operating systems, CHM files were created for the Windows platform. This means that Microsoft users don’t require any additional application or software when trying to open a CHM file.
You can simply double-click on the file, and it will open without any issues.
How to Open CHM Files on Ubuntu
Similar to Mac, opening a CHM file on Ubuntu requires little effort. Here are the steps to execute it:
- Head to your Ubuntu Desktop and click on the Applications present in the top left corner.
- Now click Add/Remove. Once on the new window, click the search box, type CHM, and hit Enter.
- Now, select CHM Viewer from the list of applications and click the checkbox next to it.
- After this, click the Apply Changes button and let the installation process finish.
- Finally, Double-click the respective CHM file, and it should open without any issues.
How to Open CHM Files on Linux
Linux is quite similar to other operating systems when it comes to opening CHM files because it also requires you to install additional applications to read a CHM file smoothly. Here are some of the most popular CHM readers for Linux:
- CHMSee: GNOME – CHM viewer for GNOME Desktop.
- GnoChm: GNOME – CHM viewer for GNOME.
- Kchmviewer: KDE – CHM viewer for Unix
Firefox Add-on: Mozilla Firefox Plug-in for CHM documents.