In the Quartus® II software, you have the option of reading or writing HEX Files using byte addressing (Intel hexadecimal format) or using word size addressing. In the Memory Editor General Options tab of the Options dialog box (Tools menu), you can turn on Read or write Hexadecimal Files (.hex) using byte addressing (Intel format). If you turn this option off, you can read or write HEX Files using word size addressing.
If you want to create a new Hexadecimal (Intel-Format) File (.hex), turn on Read or write Hexadecimal Files (.hex) using byte addressing (Intel format) in the Memory Editor General Options tab, and use a word size of 8 bits in the Number of Words & Word Size dialog box that opens automatically when you select Hexadecimal (Intel-Format) File in the Other Files tab in the New dialog box, so that the Quartus II software saves the file as an Intel-format file, before you use the Export command.
If you want to use an existing Hexadecimal (Intel-Format) File (.hex) that was created with a format other than 8 bits, turn on the Read or write Hexadecimal Files (.hex) using byte addressing (Intel format), open the file in the Memory Editor, and use the Memory Size Wizard to change the word size of the file to 8, so that the Quartus II software saves the file as an Intel-format file, before you use the Export command.