Microsoft Compiled HTML Help
Online help format by Microsoft / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Microsoft Compiled HTML Help is a Microsoft proprietary online help format, consisting of a collection of HTML pages, an index and other navigation tools. The files are compressed and deployed in a binary format with the extension .CHM, for Compiled HTML. The format is often used for software documentation.
Filename extension |
.chm |
---|---|
Internet media type |
application/vnd.ms-htmlhelp[1] |
Developed by | Microsoft |
Initial release | 1997 |
Latest release | 1.4[2] |
Extended to | .lit |
Developer(s) | Microsoft |
---|---|
Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
Predecessor | Microsoft WinHelp |
Successor | Microsoft Help 2 |
Type | Help system |
It was introduced as the successor to Microsoft WinHelp with the release of Windows 95 OSR 2.5[3] and consequently, Windows 98. Within the Windows NT family, the CHM file support is introduced in Windows NT 4.0[4][5][6] and is still supported in Windows 11.[7] Although the format was designed by Microsoft, it has been successfully reverse-engineered and is now supported in many document viewer applications.