How to open HTML files on iPhone and iPad
An HTML file from Telegram, an email attachment, or a page an AI chatbot made for you, and on your iPhone it shows up as code or a broken page? Here's why, and how to open it with everything working.
Why HTML files look broken on iPhone
When you tap an .html file in Telegram, Mail or the Files app, iOS shows a quick preview. Previews display the page's text and layout but often don't run its JavaScript, so:
- charts and dashboards are empty,
- buttons, quizzes and games do nothing,
- pages that load libraries from the web look unstyled,
- Persian, Arabic or other non-English text can appear as garbled characters when the file doesn't declare its encoding.
Safari can't open a file that's stored on your phone directly either, so "open in browser" usually isn't an option.
Open it with an app that runs HTML
- Tap the HTML file in Telegram, Files, Mail or your Safari downloads.
- Tap Share.
- Choose DotHTML. If you don't see it, scroll the row of apps to the end, tap More, and turn it on.
The file opens like a real web page: JavaScript, charts, forms, games, saved data, pop-ups and downloads all work. On iPad you can also drag an HTML file onto the app.
Keep your HTML files and find them later
Every file you open in DotHTML stays in its library: recent files grouped by date, favorites, color categories, and search inside the text of every file. Files stay on your device; nothing is uploaded.
HTML files made by AI chatbots
AI assistants increasingly produce reports, dashboards, quizzes and small tools as a single HTML file. These depend on JavaScript, so they're exactly the files that break in previews. Open them in DotHTML to use them as intended, and keep them in your library to reuse.
Still not working?
Some files load scripts or styles from the internet, so check your connection. In DotHTML, ••• → Console shows any errors the page reports. Need help? See Support.