Updated
To unzip a file online, drop the .zip here, press Extract and download the contents. Our servers unpack it, check every path and file name, and hand everything back, folders intact, in a fresh ZIP that opens cleanly anywhere.
Most computers unzip on their own. This tool covers the cases where that fails: a work laptop, a shared kiosk, a device with nothing installed to open archives, or an archive whose file names an operating system refuses to accept.
How to unzip a file online
- Add the .zip file to the page.
- Click Extract.
- Save the cleaned archive and open it; it unpacks with the unzip feature built into Windows, macOS, Android and iOS.
Why the result is a ZIP again
The contents come back as a new ZIP holding the same files in the same folder structure. That looks like a round trip, but it solves two problems. Browsers deliver downloads one file at a time, which makes one archive the sensible way to return a whole tree of files. And the new archive is rebuilt from checked contents, with safe names and nothing hidden, so it opens without trouble on any system.
The safety checks
Every archive is inspected before anything comes back:
- Zip slip: an entry whose path climbs out of the target directory, so that it could overwrite system files when unpacked. Any archive containing one is rejected outright.
- Zip bombs: small archives that balloon to enormous sizes once opened. The limits are 2 GB of unpacked data and 5,000 files, and an archive over either one is turned away.
- Awkward names: characters that common systems forbid are swapped for safe ones, and repeated entries are removed.
A damaged archive is refused as well. Whatever the cause, the message on screen says why.
What it cannot open
Encrypted, password-protected ZIPs are out of scope, and a message says so. A desktop archive app that asks for the password will open them. The tool reads the ZIP format only, so for RAR, tar or 7z files, use a desktop program too.
Unpacking a batch of archives
Without an account, up to 5 archives can go in together, each up to 50 MB, with 20 server jobs a day. A free account raises that to 10 archives per batch and 50 jobs a day. Pro accepts archives up to 500 MB in batches of up to 500, with no daily allowance, and credits cover one big job without a subscription at 25 files per credit.
Where unpacking happens
On our servers in Germany. Archives travel over an encrypted connection, and both the archive and the result are deleted automatically within two hours.
FAQ
Is it possible to unpack only part of the archive?
No. Extraction always covers the full archive, and the file you want can be taken from the result.
What does a refused archive usually mean?
One of four things: the archive has unsafe paths, it is encrypted, it is damaged, or it would expand beyond the 2 GB or 5,000-file limit. The message states which applies.
Are the unpacked files checked for viruses?
No virus scan is done. Open archives only when you trust where they came from.
Is the folder structure kept?
Yes. The returned ZIP keeps the original folders and subfolders.