Tips to open MHA file

Can't open the MHA file? You are not the only one. Thousands of users face similar problems every day. Below you will find tips on how to open MHA files as well as a list of programs that support MHA files.

MHA file extension

File Name MetaImage Medical Format
File Category Raster Image Files

The MHA file is supported on 1 operating systems. Depending on your operating system, you may need different software to handle the MHA files. Below is a summary of the number of programs that support and open the MHA file on each system platform.

Operating systems
  • 2
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

What is MHA file?

The file with the extension MHA is the Raster Image Files file type. Raster Image Files consists of 522 similar files. MetaImage Medical Format is most often found on 1 operating systems. Although it can be found with greater or lesser success on any operating system, it will only be useful on Windows. It is recommended to use Insight Segmentation and Registration Toolkit to handle this file. This is a program created by Kitware, Inc.. Alternatively, you can use 1 other programs. ParaView will apply when it is not possible to use Insight Segmentation and Registration Toolkit.

How to open MHA file?

An often recurring problem with MetaImage Medical Format is that MHA is not associated with the correct program file. This is manifested by the fact that MHA files open in unusual applications or do not have an assigned program. This problem can be easily remedied.

The first thing you should do is just "doubleclick" on the MHA file icon you want to open. If the operating system has an appropriate application to support it and there is also an association between the file and the program, the file should be opened.

Step 1. Install Insight Segmentation and Registration Toolkit

In this case, you should first verify that the Insight Segmentation and Registration Toolkit application is installed on the computer. This can be achieved by typing Insight Segmentation and Registration Toolkit into the operating system search engine. In the absence of an appropriate program, its installation in the vast majority of cases will fix the problem. Below is a list of programs that support the file MHA.

Step 2. Create association of Insight Segmentation and Registration Toolkit with MHA files

If the application is or has been freshly installed, but the MHA file still does not use the Insight Segmentation and Registration Toolkit program, it means no association. It is most convenient to call the context menu with the right mouse button and select Properties. Information about the file and the program that the file is associated with are available here. Using the "Change" button we can select the desired program. It may happen that in the next window there will be no appropriate program - however, this can be corrected with the "Browse" option where you should manually indicate the program location. However, it is important to check the "Always use the selected program ..." box, this will allow you to permanently associate the MHA file with the Insight Segmentation and Registration Toolkit application.

Step 3. Update Insight Segmentation and Registration Toolkit to the latest version

If, despite the association of the Insight Segmentation and Registration Toolkit program with the MetaImage Medical Format file, the file still does not open, check the program version and possibly update it to the newest version. Some applications allow you to update from the program level, and for others you need to download the installer from the Kitware, Inc. page and install.

Step 4. Check for the following problems with the MHA file

Of course, it may happen that despite the above steps, the file still does not work. This could be due to the file itself, the cleanest issues are:

Very often, the file may be size 0 or incomplete. Usually this applies to MHA files downloaded from the Internet in case the download did not finish properly. The file should be downloaded again, making sure that the process has finished correctly.
The computer may have fallen victim to a computer virus or hacker. Perform a virus scan using available and up-to-date anti-virus software. If this is not possible, you can use the online scanner. However, it is important to scan the entire system, not only the file MHA or the program directory. As a result of the scan, sometimes it is not possible to recover MHA files, which are deleted if there is a backup of this file, then after restoring it, it must also be scanned.
Older version of MHA file may not always be supported by the latest software version. On their websites, developers usually offer free solutions to such problems, e.g. in the form of a conversion program or an older version of the program.
There can be many reasons for this. The repair method must be adapted to the type of file and damage. Sometimes the program itself has options to repair the most popular MHA file corruption. You can restore the file from a backup or use help.
The program can also signal the fact of encryption. The encrypted MHA files cannot be played on other computers than the one on which they were encrypted, they must be decrypted before using on another device.
Some of the system directories are excluded from modification. These directories are write-protected to them and it's very hard to fix this problem. Copying the MHA file to another location will fix the problem.
This problem usually affects more complex files. Some file types can only be opened in one program at a time. Closing other programs should help. If the error persists after closing other programs, wait for a while. However, some background programs may block the MHA file while scanning. If this does not work either, restart the device.