What is a LZH file?

LZH — LHA archive

What is it?

LZH is an old archive format that has all but disappeared everywhere — except in Japan, where it remained the standard for a long time.

It compresses reasonably well for its era and bundles multiple files together, much like a ZIP.

History & origin

The format was created in 1988 in Japan by a developer who released it for free.

That free licensing led to widespread adoption in the country, and it still turns up today in old archives, period software, and documentary collections.

Why it is useful

A respectable compression ratio for its generation.

It retains documentary value: in some cases, it's the only format in which certain Japanese archives survive.

Limits & drawbacks

Nearly abandoned: no system opens it natively, and few programs still support it.

Its performance has been thoroughly outpaced by newer formats.

Practical tips

Convert your LZH files to ZIP or 7Z to ensure they remain readable in the future.

Do it soon: fewer and fewer programs are able to open them each year.

Convert your LZH in seconds, on our secure servers in France.

Convert a LZH