What is BinHex, and how can I decode a BinHex (.hqx) file?

BinHex is short for "binary-to-hexadecimal", and is a fairly common file conversion process that converts a file from its binary form to an ASCII text file. BinHex conversion allows you to send word processing, spreadsheet, and application files via email or SFTP. BinHexed files take up more space than the original files, but are far less likely to be corrupted in transit. BinHex is especially useful for Mac OS 9 and earlier because it combines the data and resource forks of a file and preserves them during transfer.

Recognizing BinHex files

A BinHex file usually has a .hqx extension at the end of its name. Looking at the contents of a BinHex file, you will notice that it has a message on the first line identifying it as BinHexed, followed by many 64-character lines made up of seemingly random letters, numbers, and punctuation marks.

Decoding BinHex files

Most applications automatically invoke a decoder such as StuffIt Expander to decode BinHexed files. If you receive a BinHexed file and your computer does not automatically convert it, you will need to do so manually. For more information, see In Windows, how do I handle BinHex files? For information on where to obtain StuffIt Expander, see What is StuffIt Expander, and where can I get it?

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