BinHex (sometimes called BinHex4) is a format for representing a Macintosh file in text form. The Macintosh file is converted to a series of lines, each made up of letters, numbers, and punctuation. Because BinHex files are simply text they can be sent through most electronic mail systems and stored on most computers. However the conversion to text makes the file larger, so it takes longer to transmit a file in BinHex format than if the file was represented some other way. The suffix ╥.hqx╙ usually indicates a BinHex format file.
Fetch can get and put files in BinHex format. Conversion of BinHex format files can be turned on and off in the Preferences dialog box. For information on BinHex files in multiple parts, see the Multi-Part BinHex Files entry.
