OpenAnyFile
Works
Viewing, inspecting and verifying. You get the source with language-aware colouring and line numbers. File details, exact byte size and the detected signature are always shown.
How to open a .hs file
Opening a HS file usually means tracking down special software. It does not have to. Here is what the format really is, and a browser-based way to read one right now.
What is a .hs file?
Haskell Source File is a code format developed by Simon Peyton Jones and the Haskell Committee, first appearing in 1990. It is normally produced by GHC, Stack and Cabal projects.
Purely functional and lazily evaluated, so nothing is computed until its result is demanded. Layout is significant, and the type signature line above each function usually serves as the documentation.
| Full name | Haskell Source File |
|---|---|
| File category | Code |
| MIME type | text/x-haskell |
| Developer | Simon Peyton Jones and the Haskell Committee |
| Introduced | 1990 |
| Usually created by | GHC, Stack and Cabal projects |
| OpenAnyFile engine | syntax highlighter |
| Opens without upload | Yes — parsed locally in your browser |
Open a .hs file in your browser
OpenAnyFile routes .hs to its syntax highlighter, which highlights the source with language-aware colouring and line numbers.
- Open the OpenAnyFile opener in this browser — nothing to download or sign up for.
- Drag your .hs file onto the drop zone, click to browse for it, or paste it with Ctrl+V.
- The extension is detected and the file is handed to the syntax highlighter.
- Your HS opens on its own viewer page: the source with language-aware colouring and line numbers.
- Use fullscreen for a closer look, or download the file back out unchanged. No account, no upload, no watermark, no file-size gate.
What you can and cannot do with it here
Does not work
Editing and re-saving. OpenAnyFile is a reader, not an editor — for changes you still need special software or an equivalent.
Your {ext} file stays on your device
The entire pipeline — detection, decoding, rendering — runs client-side. Your browser hands the bytes to a decoder compiled to WebAssembly, the result is drawn to the page, and that is the whole journey. No account is created, no file is stored, and no analytics event carries your filename. This is also why there is no size limit imposed by a server: the only ceiling is your own available memory.
Frequently asked questions about HS files
Can I open a .hs file without installing special software?
Yes. OpenAnyFile's syntax highlighter runs in your browser, so you can read a HS file with nothing installed. You get the source with language-aware colouring and line numbers. For full editing you still need the original application — this is a viewer, not an editor.
How can I tell what a .hs file actually contains?
The .hs extension carries no fixed signature, so the extension alone proves nothing. Opening it in OpenAnyFile shows the raw header bytes and detected type, which is the only reliable way to identify one.
Is it safe to open a HS file online?
With OpenAnyFile, yes, because nothing is uploaded. The file is read locally through your browser's File API and never leaves your device, so there is no server copy to leak, log or retain. That matters most for the kind of file people are least willing to hand to a random converter site.
What is a .hs file, exactly?
Haskell Source File — a text/x-haskell format created by Simon Peyton Jones and the Haskell Committee since 1990. Purely functional and lazily evaluated, so nothing is computed until its result is demanded. Layout is significant, and the type signature line above each function usually serves as the documentation.
Does the same viewer handle formats related to HS?
Yes — the same engine also opens .html, .xml, .sql, so you can compare related files without switching tools.
Related formats
These open with the same engine, so if you have one of these sitting next to your .hs file, it will open too: