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What is Unzip?
Open a ZIP file online and save the files inside it. The tool lists every file in the archive with its folder path and unpacked size, lets you filter by name, and saves one file at a time or all of them. The ZIP is read by your browser on your own device; it is not uploaded to our server.
How to use Unzip
- Choose a ZIP file or drag it onto the box. The file list appears straight away.
- Check what is inside: each file shows its folder path and size, and program or script files are flagged.
- Type part of a name in the filter box to find a file in a large archive.
- Click Save next to a file to download just that file, or Save all files to download every file one after another.
Why use this tool?
Useful on Chromebooks, phones, school or work computers where you cannot install 7-Zip or WinRAR, and whenever you only need one or two files from a big archive. Because the archive is read in your browser, private files are not sent anywhere.
FAQ
- Is my ZIP file uploaded?
- No. The file list and the unpacking are done by JavaScript in your browser, using its built-in Deflate decompressor. The archive does not leave your device.
- Can I open password-protected ZIP files?
- No. Encrypted ZIP files are detected and marked as password-protected, but this tool cannot decrypt them. Use 7-Zip, WinRAR or the extractor built into Windows or macOS and enter the password there.
- What is the maximum ZIP file size?
- There is no upload limit because Files are processed for your request and discarded. Files are unpacked one at a time, so the practical limit is your device's memory for the largest single file inside. Archives over 4 GB (ZIP64) are supported.
- Does it open RAR, 7z or split ZIP files?
- No. It opens standard ZIP and ZIP64 archives that use the Stored or Deflate methods, which covers files made by Windows, macOS, Google Drive and most apps. RAR, 7z and multi-part (.z01, .zip.001) archives need 7-Zip or WinRAR.
- How do I know a file was unpacked correctly?
- Each saved file is checked against the size and CRC-32 checksum stored in the ZIP (for files up to 300 MB). If they do not match, the tool tells you the file may be damaged, which usually means the ZIP download was incomplete.
- Why does Save all ask to allow multiple downloads?
- Save all downloads each file separately so you get normal files, not another ZIP. Most browsers ask once whether this site may download several files; allow it, or save only the files you need.
Unzip — In-Depth Guide
Most people who search for an online unzip tool need one thing from an archive: the invoice in a bundle of receipts, the photos from a shared album export, or the assignment file a teacher sent. This tool is built for that. It shows the full file list first, so you can confirm the archive holds what you expected before you save anything, then lets you save just the files you need.
The archive is read directly from your device. The page reads the ZIP's central directory (the index at the end of every ZIP file) to build the list, and only unpacks a file when you click Save. That keeps large archives quick to open and means the contents are never sent to a server, which matters for payslips, ID scans and other private documents.
Look at the list before opening anything. A file that claims to be a document but ends in .exe, .scr, .js or .bat is a common way malware is delivered, so the tool flags program and script files. If an archive from an unknown sender contains one, do not open it.
If the ZIP will not open, the message tells you why: not a ZIP at all (for example a RAR renamed to .zip), an incomplete download, one part of a split archive, a password-protected file, or a rare compression method that browsers cannot unpack. Re-downloading fixes incomplete archives; the others need a desktop tool such as 7-Zip.
What a ZIP file actually is
A ZIP file is not a single document — it is a container that bundles many files and folders into one, usually compressed to save space. This is why you cannot just open a ZIP and read its contents the way you would a PDF; you have to extract the files inside first, unpacking the bundle back into the individual files it holds. Historically this meant installing desktop software like WinZip or 7-Zip. Doing it in the browser removes that step entirely: you open the archive in this page, see what is inside, and save exactly the files you want, on any device, without installing anything — which matters most on the machines where you are least able to install software, like a locked-down work laptop or a borrowed computer.
Look before you extract
The most useful habit with any archive is to inspect its contents before extracting, and this tool shows the full file list, with folder paths and sizes, before you save anything. Previewing the archive tells you several things worth knowing in advance: whether it contains the one file you actually need (so you can extract just that, not the whole thing), whether it is a well-organised set of folders or a chaotic dump, and — importantly — whether it contains anything unexpected. An archive from an untrusted source that claims to be a document but contains an executable is a classic malware delivery method, and seeing the file list before you extract gives you the chance to notice and stop. Preview first; extract second.
Selective extraction beats extract-all
When you only need one document out of a fifty-file archive, extracting everything is wasteful — it clutters your downloads and forces you to hunt for the one file that mattered. Selective extraction, pulling out just the files you choose, is both faster and tidier. The all-or-nothing approach makes sense when you genuinely want the complete contents (restoring a backup, unpacking a project), but for the common case of "I just need the invoice from this bundle of receipts", picking the single file is the cleaner path. Browsing the list and choosing is the difference between a precise retrieval and a download-folder mess.
The things that go wrong with archives
A few archive realities cause most of the confusion. Password-protected ZIPs cannot be extracted without the password — encryption is doing its job, and no tool can bypass it. This tool marks encrypted files but cannot decrypt them, so open those in 7-Zip, WinRAR or your computer's built-in extractor with the password from whoever made the archive. Corrupted archives, often from an interrupted or incomplete download, will fail to extract or extract partially; re-downloading the full file usually fixes it. Nested archives (a ZIP inside a ZIP) need extracting more than once, each layer separately. And filename encoding issues can garble names with non-English characters if the archive was created on a system using a different character set. Recognising which of these you are hitting turns a baffling failure into an obvious next step.
Compression is not encryption
It is worth being clear about what a plain ZIP does and does not do for privacy, because people often assume zipping protects a file. Compression makes a file smaller; it does not hide its contents. Anyone with the ZIP can extract and read everything inside unless the archive was specifically created with a password and encryption. So zipping sensitive documents to email them provides convenience (one attachment instead of twenty) but no security on its own. If the contents are confidential, the archive needs to be password-protected at creation time — and the password shared through a different channel than the file itself.
A clean extraction workflow
Put it together and the reliable routine is short: open the archive, check the list to confirm it contains what you expect and nothing alarming (program and script files are flagged), then save either the specific files you need or all of them. The ZIP is read by your browser on your device and is never uploaded, so even sensitive archives stay with you. If you find yourself needing the reverse operation — bundling several files into one archive to send or store — that is the natural companion task, and the same browser-based approach avoids installing desktop compression software for it too.
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