What you get for a .CHW file
We don't have a dedicated viewer for this format, so we identify and inspect it instead — honestly, only what can be read from the file.
Drop your .CHW file
Choose it or drag it in. It's read right here in your browser.
We identify it
We read the magic bytes to tell what the file really is, its MIME type, and whether the name matches the contents.
See the details
Any metadata we can extract (dimensions, EXIF/GPS, document author and dates), a hex view, plus readable text and strings found inside.
What is a .CHW file?
Plain text that programs, servers and people write every day.
A .CHW file is a Compiled Help Index File developed by Microsoft. It contains data used to index help documentation, allowing for faster searching across multiple help files. These files are typically accessed and managed using the FAR program.
Programs that open .CHW files
| Full name | Microsoft Compiled HTML Help Full-Text Search Index |
|---|---|
| Developer | Microsoft |
| First released | 1997 (HTML Help 1.0, with Windows 98; .chw created when multiple .chm files are merged) |
| Category | Text & Code |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream |
Related viewers
Every viewer is free to use.
Frequently asked questions
Is my .CHW file uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read and highlighted for you.
Why do some characters look wrong (é, ł)?
That usually means the file was saved in one encoding and opened in another. We detect UTF-8, UTF-16 and the Windows-1250/1252 code pages automatically and show which one was used.
Can it handle huge log files?
Yes, up to 50 MB. Only the lines on screen are drawn, so scrolling stays smooth. Syntax colours are switched off for files over 1.5 MB to keep things fast.
How do the log level filters work?
We find levels like ERROR, WARN, INFO and DEBUG on each line. Lines without a level, such as stack traces, stay with the entry above them, so filtering to errors keeps the full trace.
Can I edit the file?
This is a viewer. To change code, download it or copy it into your editor. Converting encodings and line endings is planned.
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