What is a .HLP file?
An HLP file is a type of computer file that is used to store help documentation for software applications. This kind of file was commonly used in older versions of the Windows operating system. When you had a question about how to use a certain feature on your computer or within a specific Windows application, you could open an HLP file, and it would provide you with instructions and information to help you.
However, HLP files are not used much anymore. This is because newer versions of Windows, starting from Windows 10 and Windows Server 2012, do not come with the program needed to open these files. The program that used to open them is called Windows Help, and it was included in Windows versions up to Windows XP. For some time, you could still download and use Windows Help with newer versions of Windows like Vista, 7, 8, and 8.1, but now it's officially not supported.
If you happen to have an HLP file and you want to open it, you would need a special program. Some of the programs that can open HLP files include Help Explorer Viewer, Adobe RoboHelp, Microsoft Help Viewer, and a few others. These programs can help you view the contents of HLP files even on newer versions of Windows.
HLP files were useful because they not only contained helpful documentation but also had indexes. These indexes made it easier for users to find the information they needed within the documentation. When developers created these files, they used a tool called Microsoft Help Workshop.
It's important to note that HLP files made for older versions of Windows might not work correctly on newer versions. This is due to compatibility issues between the file format and the newer operating systems.
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