How to Open and Run a ZIP Web Project on iPhone or iPad

Updated 2026-08-09

A zipped website — a course assignment, an exported prototype, a static site backup, an AI-generated multi-file app — won't run if you just unzip it in the Files app: iOS gives you a folder of disconnected files, Safari can't navigate them, and anything using fetch() or ES modules is blocked outright on local files.

The working approach: import the ZIP as a single project into a viewer that preserves structure and can serve it like a real website. Here's the full workflow.

Step 1 — Import the ZIP as one project

Share the .zip to OpenHTML, or pick it with the in-app importer (folders work too).
The archive unpacks into a private on-device copy, keeping the folder structure and every relative path intact.
The entry page is detected automatically and opens as a rendered site.

Wrong page opened first? Projects with several HTML files show their candidates in the project workbench — pick a different entry and it's remembered.

Step 2 — Run it like a real site

Browsers deliberately restrict file:// pages: no fetch(), no ES modules, no XHR. That's why a project that works on your desktop dev server appears broken as local files. OpenHTML's Local Server mode (Pro) runs the project on a private 127.0.0.1 server on the device itself — same-origin requests, module imports and JSON loading behave exactly as in production.

The server is loopback-only: nothing else on your network can reach it, and it stops when you leave the page or background the app. The page's own access to the internet stays off unless you allow it.

Step 3 — Diagnose what's off

Structure checks flag missing files the HTML references, unused files, and paths escaping the project root.
Diagnostics list blocked remote resources and JavaScript errors with one-tap fixes.
The console shows page logs; the network panel (Pro) shows every fetch/XHR with status and timing.
Any file in the project opens in the source viewer with highlighting and search.

Debugging beyond the project itself? See debugging web pages on iPhone without a Mac.

Step 4 — Export a clean result

Repackage the project's current state as a fresh ZIP to send onward.
Inline everything into one self-contained HTML file for easy sharing.
Print the rendered page to a full-length PDF or long image (Pro).

Typical use cases

Reviewing a student's or contractor's site handed over as a ZIP.
Checking an AI-generated multi-file app from ChatGPT or Claude actually runs.
Reading a static-site export or documentation bundle on the train, fully offline.
Verifying a backup of your own site opens correctly, years later.

The full capability rundown lives on the ZIP web projects feature page.

Free on the App Store — core viewing needs no purchase.

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