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ZIP tools

Open a ZIP file online

See what is inside the archive before you extract anything at all. The archive is read in your own browser, and its contents are never sent to a server.

  • No upload
  • See the contents first
  • No sign-up

We read only the table of contents when you pick the archive. No file is extracted until you ask for it.

How it works

From a closed archive to an overview

  1. 1

    Choose the archive

    Drag the ZIP file into the field, or use the file picker. We read the table of contents, which sits at the very end of the file, so we never have to read the whole archive.

  2. 2

    Look through the contents

    You get the folder tree, the size of every file and any warnings. If the archive is large, search the list instead of scrolling it.

  3. 3

    Take out what you want

    Tick individual files or whole folders and download them. Files you do not tick are never extracted.

What the tool looks for

You get to know what you are opening

The contents before the extraction

Folder tree, file names and sizes are read from the archive’s own table of contents. Press «Show» on a row to see the file itself — image, text, table or media — before you decide.

A warning about ZIP bombs

If a file becomes more than 200 times larger when unpacked, we say so and show the ratio. Then you can leave it alone.

Password-protected archives open

If you know the password, we unlock the archive here in the browser. Both modern AES and the old ZipCrypto method are supported. The password is not sent anywhere.

Accented names from old archives

Archives from the 1990s store file names in a character set that is not UTF-8. We read them as Nordic, so «h¢st.txt» becomes «høst.txt».

A checksum on every file

Every file we extract is checked against the checksum the archive states. If it does not match, we tell you instead of handing you a damaged file.

File names that try to escape the folder

An archive can contain paths like «../../» and try to write outside the folder you chose. Such names are corrected, and you are told that it happened.

Questions and answers

What people ask

Do I have to extract the whole archive?
No. You tick the files or folders you want, and only those are extracted. Pick one file and you get that file as it is. Pick several and you get them together in one new archive with the folder structure intact.
Can you open password-protected archives?
Yes, when you know the password. Type it into the field that appears above the contents list, and the archive is unlocked on your own machine. We support WinZip AES at 128, 192 and 256 bits, and the older ZipCrypto method that Windows itself produces. We do not build password guessing or bypassing — if you do not know the password, you do not get in.
What is the difference between AES and the old ZIP encryption?
ZipCrypto is from the 1990s and is considered broken: it can be cracked using known content, without guessing the password. AES encryption is modern and gives real protection. The cost is compatibility. Windows’ own file explorer does not open password-protected archives at all — not even in Windows 11, which otherwise gained support for 7z, RAR and TAR in 2024. Your recipient then needs 7-Zip, WinRAR, Keka or a similar program. That is why we open both formats here, but we advise nobody to choose ZipCrypto when they want to protect something.
What is a ZIP bomb, and how do you warn about it?
It is a small archive that unpacks into something enormous, so that the machine runs out of memory or disk space. We compare the size inside the archive with the size after unpacking, and warn when the ratio is above 200. The warning appears before you choose anything.
Why does it say a file name was changed?
Because the name in the archive pointed out of the folder you are extracting to — for example «../../etc/passwd» or a full Windows path. Such names are flattened into something that stays where it should, and we tell you that we did it.
Do you open ZIP64?
Yes. ZIP64 is used for archives over 4 GB and for archives with very many files. We have tested both: an archive of 4.5 GB built with libarchive, where a file sitting beyond the 4 GB boundary came out unchanged, and an archive of 70,000 files built with .NET. The tool itself opens up to 20,000 files at a time — more than that becomes unmanageable in a browser.
Can I open RAR and 7z files here?
Not yet. The tool reads ZIP and ZIP64. Other archive formats need their own engines, and we publish them only once they are tested.
Is «Test the archive» a virus scan?
No. The test reads every file and checks that the contents match the checksum in the archive. It says the files are intact, not that their contents are safe. Use an antivirus program for that.

Related

Other tools and pages

Extract ZIP The same tool, focused on getting the files out and saved properly. Create ZIP file Collect files and folders into one archive, with no upload. Privacy What happens to your files, and what we actually store.