# Juicebox (Desktop)

## Opening a *.hic* file

The first step is to download Juicebox from <https://github.com/aidenlab/Juicebox/wiki/Download>

{% hint style="info" %}
Make sure you have Java installed on your system
{% endhint %}

Once you've successfully launched Juicebox, click `File → Open...` to load a new Hi-C map.

![](/files/-Lj2iPzuTl6_GJ2UaMRK)

ENCODE Hi-C maps are listed under `ENCODE Hi-C experiments`. Click `in-situ GM12878 MboI combined replicates (MAPQ 30)` to open our largest map, the 6 billion read combined replicates GM12878 library.

![](/files/-Lj2itcLY6fG3-XBhzND)

The menu links to URLs that are automatically generated from the ENCODE API. As you can see from the dialog, you can also load a local map (useful if your internet connection is spotty) or load a map via a custom URL.

{% hint style="success" %}
Juicebox can load Dropbox and Google Drive URLs – so you can upload a map to Dropbox for only your collaborators to access.
{% endhint %}

Once you've selected the Hi-C map, it will load and show all the chromosomes in a genome-wide view.

![](/files/-Lj2js_V0JRQoDXKpVvE)

## Zooming In

Click on chromosome 17. Using the selector on the left below `Normalization`, change the `Normalization` to `Balanced`. This is a way to compensate for various biases in the data.

There are several ways to zoom in:

* Slide the resolution slider to 5 KB. Use your mouse to pan until your range is roughly 64,500 KB to 69,000 KB.&#x20;
* Go to 5 KB. In the Go panel, type `17:64500000-69000000` in both boxes and hit the refresh button. Go back to 5 KB if necessary.&#x20;
* Look at the text on the right as you move your mouse on the heat map. Hold down the Alt key and draw a box that encompasses 64,500 kb to 69,000 kb.&#x20;
* Zoom in further by clicking; the heat map will be centered at the point you click.

{% hint style="info" %}
If you ever get lost, you can double click in the mini map in the upper right; you can also move the box within that mini map. You can also right click within the map and select `Jump to Diagonal`
{% endhint %}

![](/files/-LjHIqkHxra_j5GkpWwC)


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