Extract text from Help project files (HTB)
To convert HTB Help files to another format, you need HelpNDoc or other Compressed software.
To convert other file formats to the "Help Project Archive" file type, you need software like HelpNDoc or a similar tool.
The .HTB file format is primarily used as a Help Project file by technical documentation and authoring tools like Help & Manual and HelpNDoc. Internally, these files are standard ZIP archives containing a structured collection of HTML pages, images, CSS stylesheets, and navigation metadata used to compile software help manuals. A secondary, rarer use case is as a legacy offline help file for the open-source audio editor Audacity.
The major disadvantage of the .HTB format is its proprietary wrapping. Unless you have the exact authoring software installed, the file appears unreadable to standard document viewers, web browsers, or text editors. This software dependency creates an annoying vendor lock-in, frustrating users who simply want to read the manual or migrate their knowledge base to a different system. Sharing an .HTB file with a client or colleague usually means they will not be able to open it.
To make the content readable, users need to convert .HTB files to universally accessible formats like PDF, DOCX, or standard HTML. Standard online converters often fail to process this format because they do not recognize the extension. Because this format is a closed, proprietary wrapper, it is notoriously difficult to process. However, just drag and drop your file to identify the format, view it, and convert it when possible on convert.guru. Our analysis tool detects the underlying ZIP structure, meaning extraction of the embedded HTML and image assets is often possible without buying a specialized authoring tool subscription.
Convert.Guru analyzes your HTB file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert HTB file to CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT, DB or SQL, you can use HelpNDoc or similar software from the "Help Documentation & Project Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to HTB, try HelpNDoc or another comparable tool in the "Help Documentation & Project Storage" 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 HTB converter.