Extract text from HostExplorer profiles (HEP)
To convert HEP profiles to another format, you need Host Explorer or other Settings software.
To convert other file formats to the "Emulator Configuration File" file type, you need software like Host Explorer or a similar tool.
The .hep file extension is primarily used as a Host Explorer Profile to store terminal emulator session settings. These files are utilized by enterprise software such as Hummingbird Host Explorer and IBM Personal Communications to save critical configuration data, including host IP addresses, connection protocols, and display rules needed to access legacy mainframe systems. In a separate context, .hep files are also distributed as binary firmware updates for satellite receivers powered by ALI Corp STB chipsets.
The main disadvantage of .hep files is their severe lack of interoperability. A Host Explorer profile is entirely proprietary; reading or modifying its network configuration requires expensive, legacy enterprise software. Similarly, satellite firmware .hep files are opaque binary blobs that are unsupported by standard operating systems, making it impossible to verify their contents without advanced hexadecimal analysis tools. Relying on this format locks you into specific hardware or legacy ecosystems.
To break free from these restrictions, you must extract or convert the contents. For enterprise profile archiving, convert the extracted network parameters to TXT or XML to maintain a readable backup. For documentation and sharing with IT teams, convert these configurations to PDF. Drag and drop your .hep file here to analyze and convert it - free, online, and without installing heavy enterprise software.
Convert.Guru analyzes your HEP file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
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If you want to convert HEP file to , you can use Host Explorer or similar software from the "Terminal Session Configuration Profile" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to HEP, try Host Explorer or another comparable tool in the "Terminal Session Configuration Profile" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our HEP converter.