An ARH file has multiple possible interpretations, so identifying it depends on where it appeared; many ARH files are Siemens ProTool HMI project packages used to store or move automation configurations—likely if associated with Siemens, ProTool, WinCC, STEP7, S7, or factory equipment—whereas others belong to ArheoStratigraf in archaeology, where they store stratigraphy and Harris Matrix information, usually found in documentation folders mentioning layers, trench, matrix, or contexts.
To identify the ARH type accurately, the most straightforward test 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 function similarly to ZIP-based bundles, tools like 7-Zip and WinRAR are handy even when you don’t know the program yet; if they open, the internal files—configs, images, logs, databases—instantly reveal the file’s nature and let you extract assets, but if they can’t, the ARH may just be a proprietary project format, and renaming a copy to `.zip` or `.rar` can sometimes expose a normal archive underneath, making this quick test a simple, low-effort way to understand the ARH and extract anything useful.
An ARH file isn’t a fixed-format document because many developers reuse ".ARH" for unrelated purposes, so the extension alone tells you little; instead, the source matters—industrial automation work (Siemens/HMI/PLC) points toward a packaged project, while archaeological stratigraphy work points toward an ArheoStratigraf file—and checking how it behaves in tools like 7-Zip helps determine whether it’s an archive or a proprietary project.
What this means in practice is that ".ARH" labels the file but doesn’t define its structure, because multiple unrelated programs can reuse the same suffix; an ARH from industrial automation might be a Siemens/ProTool HMI package holding screens, tag databases, alarms, and configs, while an ARH from archaeology may instead be an ArheoStratigraf project storing stratigraphy/context relationships and diagram layout data, so even filenames like `project.arh` can hide completely different contents, making context—source, neighboring files, and tests like 7-Zip—the safest way to identify whether it’s an extractable archive or a proprietary project.

If you liked this information and you would certainly like to receive additional details pertaining to ARH file technical details kindly go to the site. 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.