How to open .hgt files on QGIS 3.2?

Question

I have downloaded a hgt file from EarthExplorer but when I try to load it on QGIS I get an error "GDAL provider cannot open GDAL dataset".

I was under the impression that hgt files were supported. It this a known issue? Is there any workaround?

Answer 1

Keeping the original filename is essential because the HGT format is a very simple file format (simply a 3601×3601 array of short integers which represent the terrain heights) with no embedded metadata. There is nothing within the file to indicate which part of the Earth’s surface it covers, nor are any separate metadata files provided. The position is encoded into the file’s name. For example, the file N19W157.hgt covers a 1°×1° section of the earth at latitude 19° North and longitude 157° West. It is therefore imperative that these files are not renamed, as the only way to determine the coordinates is by parsing the file name.

Answer 2

I have actually found out what was happening. Renaming the file caused the problem. I have no clue why, but that's what caused the issue. When I kept the original filename, it worked perfectly.