Unzip files online

Opening a ZIP without installing anything

Most operating systems can open a ZIP, but there are plenty of situations where that is awkward: a locked-down work computer, a Chromebook, a tablet, a phone with a clumsy file manager, or simply wanting to peek inside an archive before deciding whether to extract it. The tool above reads the archive in your browser, lists what is inside with sizes, and lets you download individual files or everything at once.

Preview before you extract

Listing the contents first is useful for more than convenience. An archive received by email or downloaded from an unfamiliar site may contain files you do not want. You can see the file names and sizes, pull out only the document you need, and leave the rest. Because the archive is opened in your browser's memory and nothing is executed, listing is safe. Ordinary caution still applies to what you download: do not run executables from sources you do not trust.

What is supported

• Standard .zip archives created by Windows, macOS, Linux, and every common ZIP tool.
• Both stored (uncompressed) and DEFLATE-compressed entries.
• Nested folders, which are shown with their paths.
• Archives with thousands of small files.
• UTF-8 file names, so accented and non-Latin names display correctly.

Password-protected archives cannot be opened, because their contents are encrypted. Other formats such as .rar, .7z and .tar.gz use different structures; for .gz files the gunzip tool handles single-file gzip archives.

Common cases

Why a ZIP file will not open

• The download was not finished. A cut-off download is missing the index at the end of the archive, so nothing can read it. Download it again and compare the file size.
• It is not really a ZIP. A .rar or .7z renamed to .zip will not open as a ZIP. Those need 7-Zip or a similar program.
• It is a .zipx file. WinZip's newer format uses compression methods that browsers and the built-in Windows extractor do not support. Ask the sender for a standard .zip.
• It has a password. Encrypted archives cannot be read without the key. Open it in 7-Zip or WinZip with the password instead.

Ordinary .zip files made by WinZip, 7-Zip, WinRAR, Windows or macOS all open here, including ones sent as email attachments or shared from cloud storage.

Unzipping with what is already on your device

• Windows: right-click the ZIP and choose Extract All, then pick a folder.
• Mac: double-click the ZIP. The files appear in a folder next to it.
• iPhone and iPad: in the Files app, tap the ZIP once and it is extracted to a folder beside it.
• Android: in Files by Google, tap the ZIP and then Extract. Other file managers have a similar option.
• Chromebook: double-click the ZIP in the Files app. It opens like a folder, and you can drag the files out.

The tool above is the fallback for every case where those options are missing, blocked on a work computer, or awkward on a small screen, and it lets you pick single files instead of extracting everything.

How this differs from other online unzip sites

Most online unzip services upload your archive to their server, extract it there and send the files back to you. That means waiting for the upload, a size limit, and a copy of your files on someone else's computer. Here the archive is opened in your own browser: the contents appear straight away, there is no upload limit or queue, and nothing ever leaves your device.

Unzipping on a phone

Open this page in Safari or Chrome, tap the drop area and pick the ZIP from Files or Downloads. The contents are listed straight away, and each file can be saved on its own, which is often easier than the phone's own file manager when you only need one document out of a large archive.

Large archives

Extraction happens in memory, so archives up to a few hundred megabytes are comfortable on a desktop or laptop. On a phone, very large archives may fail; extract one file at a time rather than all at once. Nothing is uploaded, so archives of private documents and photos are handled entirely on your device.