diff --git a/Framework/DataHandling/inc/MantidDataHandling/LoadSpec.h b/Framework/DataHandling/inc/MantidDataHandling/LoadSpec.h
index 12de4462f910..9a182c52143a 100644
--- a/Framework/DataHandling/inc/MantidDataHandling/LoadSpec.h
+++ b/Framework/DataHandling/inc/MantidDataHandling/LoadSpec.h
@@ -9,9 +9,10 @@
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Includes
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------
-#include "MantidAPI/Algorithm.h"
+#include "MantidAPI/IFileLoader.h"
 #include "MantidDataHandling/DllConfig.h"
 #include "MantidHistogramData/Histogram.h"
+#include "MantidKernel/FileDescriptor.h"
 
 namespace Mantid {
 namespace DataHandling {
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@ data.</li>
 @author Roman Tolchenov, Tessella plc
 @date 3/07/09
 */
-class MANTID_DATAHANDLING_DLL LoadSpec final : public API::Algorithm {
+class MANTID_DATAHANDLING_DLL LoadSpec : public API::IFileLoader<Kernel::FileDescriptor> {
 public:
   LoadSpec();
   const std::string name() const override { return "LoadSpec"; }
@@ -44,6 +45,9 @@ class MANTID_DATAHANDLING_DLL LoadSpec final : public API::Algorithm {
   int version() const override { return 1; }
   const std::string category() const override { return "DataHandling\\Text"; }
 
+  /// Returns a confidence value that this algorithm can load a file
+  int confidence(Kernel::FileDescriptor &descriptor) const override;
+
 private:
   void init() override;
   void exec() override;
diff --git a/Framework/DataHandling/src/LoadSpec.cpp b/Framework/DataHandling/src/LoadSpec.cpp
index 3c9dcb7af98b..8f51b85b7879 100644
--- a/Framework/DataHandling/src/LoadSpec.cpp
+++ b/Framework/DataHandling/src/LoadSpec.cpp
@@ -8,8 +8,10 @@
 // Includes
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------
 #include "MantidDataHandling/LoadSpec.h"
+#include "MantidAPI/Algorithm.h"
 #include "MantidAPI/Axis.h"
 #include "MantidAPI/FileProperty.h"
+#include "MantidAPI/RegisterFileLoader.h"
 #include "MantidAPI/WorkspaceFactory.h"
 #include "MantidDataObjects/Workspace2D.h"
 #include "MantidKernel/ListValidator.h"
@@ -22,7 +24,7 @@
 
 namespace Mantid::DataHandling {
 // Register the algorithm into the algorithm factory
-DECLARE_ALGORITHM(LoadSpec)
+DECLARE_FILELOADER_ALGORITHM(LoadSpec)
 
 using namespace Kernel;
 using namespace API;
@@ -30,6 +32,58 @@ using namespace API;
 /// Empty constructor
 LoadSpec::LoadSpec() = default;
 
+/**
+ * Return the confidence with with this algorithm can load the file
+ * @param descriptor A descriptor for the file
+ * @returns An integer specifying the confidence level. 0 indicates it will not
+ * be used
+ */
+int LoadSpec::confidence(Kernel::FileDescriptor &descriptor) const {
+  if (!descriptor.isAscii())
+    return 0;
+
+  auto &file = descriptor.data();
+
+  int confidence(0);
+  size_t axiscols(0), datacols(0);
+  std::string str;
+  using tokenizer = Mantid::Kernel::StringTokenizer;
+  const std::string sep = " ";
+  bool snsspec(false);
+
+  while (std::getline(file, str)) {
+    // File is opened in binary mode so getline will leave a \r at the end of an
+    // empty line if it exists
+    if (str.empty() || str == "\r")
+      continue;
+
+    try {
+      // if it's comment line
+      tokenizer tok(str, sep, Mantid::Kernel::StringTokenizer::TOK_IGNORE_EMPTY);
+      if (str.at(0) == '#') {
+        if (str.at(1) == 'L') {
+          axiscols = tok.count();
+          // if the file contains a comment line starting with "#L" followed
+          // by three columns this could be loadsnsspec file
+          if (axiscols > 2) {
+            snsspec = true;
+          }
+        }
+      } else {
+        // check first data line is a 3 column line
+        datacols = tok.count();
+        break;
+      }
+    } catch (std::out_of_range &) {
+    }
+  }
+  if (snsspec && datacols == 3) // three column data
+  {
+    confidence = 80;
+  }
+  return confidence;
+}
+
 /// Initialisation method.
 void LoadSpec::init() {
   const std::vector<std::string> exts{".dat", ".txt"};
diff --git a/Testing/SystemTests/tests/framework/LoadLotsOfFiles.py b/Testing/SystemTests/tests/framework/LoadLotsOfFiles.py
index ec5c88625ff0..04cf53816b3f 100644
--- a/Testing/SystemTests/tests/framework/LoadLotsOfFiles.py
+++ b/Testing/SystemTests/tests/framework/LoadLotsOfFiles.py
@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@
     "batch_input.csv",
     "mar11015.msk",
     "LET_hard.msk",  # It seems loade does not understand it?
-    "LoadSNSspec.txt",  # LoadSpec is not registered as a file loader
     "MASK.094AA",
     "MASKSANS2D_094i_RKH.txt",
     "MASKSANS2D.091A",
diff --git a/docs/source/release/v6.13.0/Framework/Data_Handling/New_features/39243.rst b/docs/source/release/v6.13.0/Framework/Data_Handling/New_features/39243.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..4988378e9abe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/source/release/v6.13.0/Framework/Data_Handling/New_features/39243.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- :ref:`LoadSpec <algm-LoadSpec>` has been updated to be declared as a file loader
diff --git a/docs/source/release/v6.13.0/framework.rst b/docs/source/release/v6.13.0/framework.rst
index 5ef117a9a79d..0a5259ba5026 100644
--- a/docs/source/release/v6.13.0/framework.rst
+++ b/docs/source/release/v6.13.0/framework.rst
@@ -44,6 +44,22 @@ Removed
 .. amalgamate:: Framework/Fit_Functions/Removed
 
 
+Data Handling
+-------------
+
+New features
+############
+.. amalgamate:: Framework/Data_Handling/New_features
+
+Deprecated
+############
+.. amalgamate:: Framework/Data_Handling/Deprecated
+
+Removed
+############
+.. amalgamate:: Framework/Data_Handling/Removed
+
+
 Data Objects
 ------------