How to open an HTML file on Android or iPhone

Android

Method 1 — Files app → Chrome

1. Open Files by Google (or your phone's file manager) and find the file, usually in Downloads.
2. Tap the three dots → Open with → Chrome. If Chrome is not listed, the file may be named .htm.txt — rename it.

Some Android versions show the file in a basic "HTML Viewer" system app that displays the source; choose Chrome explicitly. Pages that load images or CSS from neighbouring files may still look broken, because Chrome on Android restricts local file access.

Method 2 — Online viewer

Open the HTML viewer in Chrome, tap the drop area and choose the file. It renders immediately, scripts included, and nothing is uploaded.

iPhone and iPad

iOS has no "open with Safari" for local files. The Files app's Quick Look preview renders simple HTML, but often without styles or scripts, and long-pressing does not offer Safari.

Method 1 — Online viewer (recommended)

1. Save the attachment to Files first (Mail: long-press → Save to Files; WhatsApp: tap the document → Share → Save to Files).
2. In Safari, open the HTML viewer, tap the drop area → Browse → pick the file.

Method 2 — Quick Look

Tap the file in Files. Good enough for simple, text-heavy pages; not for interactive ones.

Sending an HTML page to someone's phone

Everything above is the recipient's problem when you send a file. Send a link instead: publish the file with HTML file to URL (it works from a phone too — tap Upload and pick the file) and paste the URL into the chat. It opens as a page on any phone, with every image and script in place. For a room full of phones — a class, a meeting — show the QR code.

Make your page phone-friendly

If the page opens but everything is tiny, it is missing the viewport tag. Add this inside <head>:

Copy<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">