An ARH file isn’t tied to one universal purpose, so the best way to identify it is by checking context; many ARH files come from Siemens ProTool—older industrial HMI software—where they act as compressed project packages for storing or backing up HMI work, making this likely if the file came from factory equipment, PLC/HMI technicians, or folders mentioning Siemens, ProTool, WinCC, STEP7, S7, or HMI, while in other cases ARH refers to an ArheoStratigraf project used in archaeology for documenting stratigraphy and building diagrams like a Harris Matrix, which fits if the file came from excavation records or folders labeled contexts, trench, stratigraphy, matrix, or layers.

To identify the ARH type accurately, the quickest diagnostic is opening it with 7-Zip or WinRAR, because some ARH files are essentially archives; if the tool opens it and displays internal folders or files, you can extract them and inspect elements like images, configs, or database items—usually signaling a packaged Siemens/ProTool-style project—while a failure to open means the file might still be valid but proprietary, requiring ProTool or ArheoStratigraf, and you can also try copying and renaming the file to `.zip` or `.rar` in case it’s a simple archive under another name, with the real “correct” method depending on your needs: extraction works if you only want assets, but full project editing needs the original software.

Because many ARH files are essentially compressed bundles, tools like 7-Zip or WinRAR are worth trying early, since they can instantly confirm whether the ARH is a browseable archive; if it opens, the internal files—project directories, configs, images, logs—usually reveal what software it belongs to, and you can extract items without needing the original app, while an inability to open typically means the format is proprietary, and renaming a copy to `.zip` or `.rar` can expose hidden archives, making this a simple way to identify the ARH and recover content.

An ARH file can’t be treated as one standard format because “.ARH” is a non-standard extension reused by different software makers, so two ARH files may be completely unrelated even though they share the same suffix; the real clue is the context—industrial automation environments (Siemens, HMI/PLC) often use ARH as a packed project file, while archaeology workflows use it for ArheoStratigraf data—and identifying it relies more on the source workflow, nearby files, and whether it opens like an archive in tools such as 7-Zip.

If you cherished this article and you would like to acquire more info with regards to ARH file application please visit our own web page. In effect, “.ARH” doesn’t reveal the internal file type, because the extension can belong to unrelated programs; one ARH might be a Siemens/ProTool HMI project holding screens, tags, configurations, and alarms, while another from archaeology might be ArheoStratigraf data describing stratigraphy relationships and diagrams, so identical-looking filenames can still differ entirely, and the most reliable identification comes from tracing its source and using tools like 7-Zip to see whether it behaves like an archive or needs its original software.

You can typically pinpoint the type of ARH file by examining the *surrounding clues*—folder names, companion files, and the workflow source—since the extension itself is not definitive; in automation contexts with Siemens, ProTool, WinCC, STEP7/S7, PLC, HMI, tags, or alarms present, the ARH is likely a Siemens ProTool project package, whereas in archaeology folders labeled trench, context, stratigraphy, matrix, layers, or site and bundled with excavation documents or images, it is probably ArheoStratigraf, and if uncertain, attempting to open it with 7-Zip will reveal whether it behaves like an archive or needs its original software.