This article explains how to unzip a ZIP archive in order to access its contents. The procedure for extracting files from a ZIP archive consists in decompressing the data, an operation that allows them to be consulted or executed correctly. To decompress a ZIP file, you can use the features built into the Windows operating system and on all Macs.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Windows
Step 1. Make sure your computer is configured to use the operating system as the default tool to decompress ZIP files
If you have installed a third party program such as WinZip, WinRAR or 7-Zip you may not be able to perform the data extraction by following the steps described in this section. To carry out this check follow these instructions:
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Access the menu Start clicking the icon
Windowsstart ;
- Type in keywords choose a default app, then choose the option Choose a default app for each file type appeared at the top of the "Start" menu;
- Scroll through the list that appeared to the section .zip, then click the program name displayed on the right. If the option .zip it is not visible, it means that the computer is configured to use the default Windows program to decompress ZIP files;
- Choose the voice File Explorer from the drop-down menu that appeared.
Step 2. Locate the ZIP file to unzip
Navigate to the folder that contains the ZIP archive to be processed.
If the ZIP file is stored directly on the desktop, skip this step
Step 3. Double-click the ZIP file icon
The contents of the archive will be displayed in the Windows "File Explorer" window.
Step 4. Go to the Extract tab
It is located at the top of the window. A ribbon will appear at the top of the "File Explorer" window.
Step 5. Press the Extract All button
It is located within the tab's ribbon Extract. A new dialog will appear.
Step 6. If necessary, select a different folder to store the data extracted from the ZIP archive
If you want the data extracted from the ZIP file to be stored in a directory other than the one where the compressed archive is located, follow these instructions:
- Push the button Browse … placed on the right side of the window;
- Select the name of the folder in which to save the files extracted from the ZIP archive;
- Push the button Folder selection.
Step 7. Press the Extract button
It is located at the bottom of the window. The contents of the ZIP file will be extracted and saved in the chosen folder.
If the "Show extracted files after operation" checkbox is not selected, select it before pressing the button Extract. In this way, the destination folder will be displayed automatically at the end of the extraction procedure.
Step 8. Wait for the folder extracted from the ZIP file to open
When the file extraction phase is complete, the extracted folder will be opened automatically, so that you can view its contents.
If the unzipped folder does not open automatically after data extraction, go to the directory where it was stored and double-click the corresponding icon to open it
Method 2 of 3: Mac
Step 1. Locate the ZIP archive to unpack
Navigate to the folder where the ZIP file to be processed is stored.
Step 2. If necessary, copy the ZIP archive to a different folder than the current one
Since on Mac the data extracted from the compressed archive is automatically stored in the same folder where the ZIP file resides, to overcome this problem you will simply have to copy the compressed archive directly to the folder where you want to extract the data. Follow these instructions:
- Select the ZIP file with the mouse.
- Access the menu Edit located at the top left of the screen.
- Choose the option Copy from the drop-down menu that appeared.
- Navigate to the folder where you want the data extracted from the ZIP file to be stored.
- Access the menu again Edit and choose the option Paste.
Step 3. Double-click the ZIP file icon
This way the contents of the compressed archive will be extracted immediately.
Step 4. Wait for the folder extracted from the ZIP file to open
When the file extraction phase is complete, the extracted folder will be opened automatically, so you can view its contents.
Method 3 of 3: Linux
Step 1. Open a "Terminal" window
Click the "Terminal" app icon characterized by a black square inside which the white characters "> _" are visible. It is present in most Linux distributions.
Alternatively, you can press the hotkey combination Alt + Ctrl + T
Step 2. Navigate to the directory that contains the ZIP file to be unzipped
Type the cd command, hit the spacebar once, type the full path to the folder that contains the ZIP file, and hit the Enter key.
- For example, if the ZIP file to be processed is stored in the "Downloads" directory, you will need to type the cd Downloads command in the "Terminal" window.
- If the ZIP file is stored inside a folder named "ZIP", which in turn is located within the "Downloads" directory, you will need to type the command cd / home / [username] / Downloads / ZIP (where the parameter [username] represents the name of the account you use to log into Linux).
Step 3. Use the "unzip" command
Type the command unzip [filename].zip in the "Terminal" window, where the parameter [filename] represents the name of the directory where the ZIP file is stored, then press the Enter key.
If the ZIP file name contains blank spaces, you will need to enclose it in quotes including the extension (for example unzip "this ZIP.zip file")
Step 4. Review the files extracted from the ZIP archive
Navigate to the folder where you extracted the data. You should now see a list of all files and folders that were contained in the ZIP file.
Unlike Windows and Mac systems, the Linux "unzip" command does not create a folder where the files extracted from the compressed archive will be stored. The data will be extracted directly into the same directory where the ZIP file is located
Advice
- ZIP archives can also be decompressed on iPhones and Android devices by downloading a special third-party application.
- Some file types, for example some image or video formats, can be opened directly within the ZIP archive even if the quality may not be optimal.
