OpenAnyFile
Works
Viewing, inspecting and verifying. You get a browsable listing of everything inside, decompressed in-browser by libarchive compiled to WebAssembly. File details, exact byte size and the detected signature are always shown.
How to open a .lzh file
If double-clicking a LZH file did nothing useful, that is normal: the format is fine, your operating system just has no default application registered for it. This page explains the format and gives you a way to read one immediately.
What is a .lzh file?
LHA/LZH Archive is an archive format developed by Haruyasu Yoshizaki, first appearing in 1988. It is normally produced by Japanese software, Amiga.
Still encountered in Japanese software distribution long after the West moved on.
| Full name | LHA/LZH Archive |
|---|---|
| File category | Archives |
| MIME type | application/x-lzh-compressed |
| Magic bytes (file signature) | 2D 6C 68 |
| Developer | Haruyasu Yoshizaki |
| Introduced | 1988 |
| Usually created by | Japanese software, Amiga |
| OpenAnyFile engine | libarchive WASM engine |
| Opens without upload | Yes — parsed locally in your browser |
Open a .lzh file in your browser
OpenAnyFile routes .lzh to its libarchive WASM engine, which opens a browsable listing of everything inside, decompressed in-browser by libarchive compiled to WebAssembly.
- Open the OpenAnyFile opener in this browser — nothing to download or sign up for.
- Drag your .lzh 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 libarchive WASM engine.
- Your LZH opens on its own viewer page: a browsable listing of everything inside, decompressed in-browser by libarchive compiled to WebAssembly.
- Use fullscreen for a closer look, or download the file back out unchanged. Works the same on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, because it is just a web page.
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.
No upload, and here is why that matters for {E}
Handing a .lzh file to a random conversion site means handing over a copy you cannot get back. OpenAnyFile parses the file locally instead — the same way special software reads it off your disk, except the reader happens to be a web page. Nothing is transmitted, so there is nothing to leak, log or subpoena. It also means it keeps working with your Wi-Fi switched off.
Frequently asked questions about LZH files
Can I open a .lzh file without installing special software?
Yes. OpenAnyFile's libarchive WASM engine runs in your browser, so you can read a LZH file with nothing installed. You get a browsable listing of everything inside, decompressed in-browser by libarchive compiled to WebAssembly. For full editing you still need the original application — this is a viewer, not an editor.
How can I check a file really is a LZH file?
Look at the first bytes rather than the extension. A genuine LZH begins with 2D 6C 68. Opening the file in OpenAnyFile shows that signature in the file-details panel, so a file renamed to .lzh by mistake is easy to spot.
Is it safe to open a LZH 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 .lzh file, exactly?
LHA/LZH Archive — an application/x-lzh-compressed format created by Haruyasu Yoshizaki since 1988. Still encountered in Japanese software distribution long after the West moved on.
Does the same viewer handle formats related to LZH?
Yes — the same engine also opens .7z, .iso, .rar, 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 .lzh file, it will open too: