What is an HST file?
The .HST file extension usually stands for "History". Many different software programs use .HST files to store historical data, logs, and system events. The most common use is the MetaTrader 4 trading platform by MetaQuotes. In MetaTrader, an .HST file stores financial chart data and trading history.
Other programs also use .HST files for various purposes. For example, Danfoss System Manager uses them for refrigeration logs, Bosch uses them for fire alarm event tracking, and Intuit Quicken uses them for software price history. Because the extension simply implies "history", the internal structure of the file changes completely depending on the software that created it.
How to open HST files?
Because the .HST extension has multiple meanings, you must know which software created the file. A MetaTrader .HST file opens directly in the MetaTrader 4 History Center. A Quicken price history file opens in Intuit Quicken.
Some .HST files are plain text, which you can open with standard text editors like Notepad++. Others might be formatted as SQLite databases or compressed ZIP archives. If you double-click an .HST file and see scrambled characters, you are trying to open a binary file with a text editor.
How viewer.online helps
Because an .HST file can be a trading log, a system event record, or a database, viewer.online/hst is the best way to understand your file. Our tool can analyze .HST files to identify the exact format and creator software, inspect the file structure, extract readable text, and check whether an online preview is available.
Summary
Using viewer.online/hst is useful for identifying, inspecting, and understanding .HST files without installing software or dealing with compatibility problems. It prevents the need to guess the file origin or download multiple specialized tools just to read a single log.