How To Unzip Files On Windows 10 Like A Pro In Few Clicks

Do you ever find yourself needing to know how to unzip files on Windows 10 in order to open, view and extract files in zip format? Zip files are typically used to compress large amounts of data into one smaller file. But how do you unzip these content-packed files if your Windows 10 system doesn’t know what to do with them? Don’t worry! We’ll walk you through the step by step process of viewing, extracting and decompressing zip files in the easiest way possible. So read on for our comprehensive guide to using built-in Windows tools, software downloads or online services — so that all those important collections of images or sound files don’t remain a mystery any longer!

What is a ZIP file?

ZIP files provide an efficient and secure way to store, transfer, and share data. This file format compresses multiple documents or folders into a singular archive for easier downloading as well as storage. Hope you understood what is a zip file. Additionally, you can also password-protect your ZIP files if desired which is especially helpful when sharing confidential information. Most operating systems come with their own built-in tools that allow users to open these archives quickly and easily extract the contents within them.

How to Create a Zip File on Windows 10 for Free?

Creating a ZIP file on Windows 10 is absolutely free and has never been easier! All you have to do is take advantage of the pre-installed “Send to Compressed folder” feature. Here’s steps on how to create a Zip file:

Choose the files or folders that you’d like to combine into an easy-to-share ZIP file.
To compress your selected files or folders, right click on them and hover over the “Send to” option.
Finally, select the “Compressed (zipped) folder” from the list of available choices.

How to Create a Zip File on Windows 10 Image

After selecting the initial file or folder, Windows will automatically generate a ZIP with an identical name; though if desired, you may also opt to rename it.

How to Unzip Files in Windows 10?

Unzip Archive with ‘Extract all’ Wizard

Follow this step-by-step guide on how to unzip files in Windows 10 using the “Extract all” wizard and easily open up your stored data!

On your computer, search for and select the ZIP file you would like to unzip.
To unzip archive file, simply right-click and select “Extract All” from the contextual menu.

Unzip Compressed Folder Using Extract All Wizard Image

To extract the contents of your ZIP file, open the “Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders” window and select a destination folder. If you want to be more specific with your choice, just click on the “Browse” button for further options!

Browse And Select Destination In Extract Compressed Folders Dialog Box Image

To extract all of the contents of ZIP file, ensure that the “Show extracted files when complete” option is kept checked. However, if you would like to only obtain certain documents within this file then be sure to uncheck this box.

Select Show extracted files when complete In Dialog Box Image

To initiate the extraction process, click on the “Extract” button.

Windows will extract all the files and folders from your ZIP file to the destination folder you preselected. The progress bar will keep you updated on how much longer is left in this process.
Once the extraction process is complete, you can access your extracted files by effortlessly opening up the destination folder.

How to Unzip a File Using Drag-and-Drop?

Here are the detailed steps on how to unzip a file using drag-and-drop functionality:

Search for the ZIP file on PC that you would like to unzip.
Open a new window and guide your way to the desired site for extracting what lies within the ZIP file.
To transfer the ZIP file contents to its destination folder, press and hold down your mouse button while dragging it.
Finally, open the destination folder to access the files.

Extract Zip Files Using File Explorer

Here is the step-by-step guide on how to use File Explorer and effortlessly extract ZIP files:

Search for the ZIP file you intend to unzip on your computer. When it is found, right-click and select “Extract All” from the menu that appears.

Right Click Zip Folder And Select Extract All Image

When the “Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders” window appears, pick a folder to place your extracted ZIP file contents. If you need more precision, simply click on the “Browse” button and navigate to an exact directory of your choice!

Tap Browse To Select Destination Folder Image

If you’d like to extract everything from the ZIP file, be sure to keep the “Show extracted files when complete” option selected. However, if only certain items are desired for extraction, it’s essential that this setting is deselected.

Tick Show extracted files when complete Image

To begin the extraction process, simply click on the “Extract” button.

Windows will effortlessly extract files from ZIP folder to the exact folder you have chosen. To ensure you remain informed, a progress bar notifies you of how much time is left in the process.
Once the extraction has been completed, you can immediately access the files in the destination folder.

If you’re looking for an alternative way to unzip files in windows 10, look no further than the “Compressed Folder Tools” tab in File Explorer. Simply follow these easy steps and you can have those files extracted quickly!

To begin, find the ZIP file you’d like to unzip from your computer. Next, right-click on that same file and pick “Open with” > “Windows Explorer” in the context menu for a seamless extraction process!

Open the File Explorer window and access the “Compressed Folder Tools” tab. Then, locate “Extract All” in this same area to proceed with your task.

Click Extract All In Compressed Folder Tools Tab Image

In the “Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders” window, choose a folder to which you’d like to extract all of the contents of your ZIP file. To make things easier for yourself, click on the “Browse” button and pick from one of your existing folders.

Browse The Destination Folder In Extract All Dialog Box Image

If you wish to access every item in the ZIP file, make sure “Show extracted files when complete” is selected. Conversely, if you only require specific items from the archive, deselect this option.
Finally, click on “Extract”. Windows will unzip all files and folders in your chosen destination directory – you can track the time remaining via a nifty progress bar.

Tick Show extracted files And Click Extract In Dialog Box Image

After the extraction is finished, you can click open on the destination folder and access all of your newly extracted files.

How to Open a Zip File on Windows 10 Using Third Party Tools?

There are several third-party tools on how to Unzip files on Windows 10, like 7Zip, WinZip and WinRAR. Below are ways on how to open a Zip file on Windows 10 using these tools.

How to Use 7Zip to Unzip Files?

If you’re looking to open zip files, 7Zip is the perfect and a free file compression tool for you! This user-friendly program can easily compress and decompress a variety of file formats. Here’s how to use 7Zip to unzip files:

First download and install 7Zip from its official website, then right-click on the file that you want to unzip and choose “7-Zip” in the context menu!
To unzip your files, navigate to the 7-Zip submenu and choose between “Extract Here” to extract them in their current directory or “Extract to [filename]/” if you wish for a specific location.

Allow the extraction process to finish – a task that will be based on both your computer’s speed and the compressed file size.
Upon completion of the extraction process, your uncompressed files will be readily accessible in the desired destination folder.

How to Extract Files Using WinZip?

Here are the steps on how to extract files using WinZip:

Easily download WinZip app from its reputable website, and then search for the ZIP file you wish to unpack on your PC.
To access the contents of a ZIP file, right-click on it and choose “Open with” > “WinZip” from the dropdown menu. WinZip will then open up and reveal all that lies within your zipped folder in a separate window.
Select any files or folders that you wish to extract and simply hit “Extract” for quick accessibility!
To access all the documents and folders stored in your ZIP file, simply hit the “Extract All” button on WinZip’s toolbar.
In the “Extract” dialog box, decide upon a destination folder for your extracted ZIP file’s contents. Additionally, you have the option of extracting them with or without subfolders.
To begin the extraction process, simply press the “Extract” button.
WinZip will then take out all of the files and folders from your ZIP file and place them into whichever destination folder you have specified.

How to Unzip Files Using WinRAR?

WinRAR is an excellent file archiving program that can easily compress and extract files into a variety of formats. To extract your documents, simply follow these few steps on how to unzip files using WinRAR:

Access the official WinRAR website to download and install the file compression software.

Once installed, simply right-click on your desired compressed file and you’ll be able to extract it in no time!
To unzip the files, you can select “Extract Here” from the context menu to instantly extract them in your current folder or pick “Extract to [filename]/” if you’d like to choose a specific directory.

Right Click On WinRAR ZIP File And Select Extract All Image

To finish the extraction process, wait for it to fully run its course; the amount of time needed will depend on both your computer’s speed and size of the compressed file.
When complete, all uncompressed files can be accessed in the chosen destination directory.

File Extraction Using PowerShell

With these easy steps, you can quickly extract files using the power of PowerShell:

To gain access to PowerShell, simply type “PowerShell” in the Start Menu search bar and select the option labelled “Windows PowerShell”.

Select Windows PowerShell From Start Menu Image

To access the directory where your compressed file is stored, use the “cd” command.
Then to extract one selected item from that file, enter this simple line of code: Expand-Archive -LiteralPath “compressedfile.zip” -DestinationPath “destinationfolder“.
To unzip a file, change “compressedfile.zip” to the name of your compressed file and substitute “destinationfolder” with the preferred title for the folder where you would like to extract.

Extract A Specific File To Destination Folder From Directory Image

To extract all files in a directory, type the following command: Get-ChildItem -Path “compressedfolder” -Recurse -Filter *.zip | ForEach-Object { Expand-Archive -LiteralPath $_.FullName -DestinationPath “destinationfolder” }
Change “compressedfolder” to the name of the folder which has your compressed files and replace “destinationfolder” with a directory where you wish to have these items extracted.

Extract All Files In A Directory To Destination Folder Image

Allow the file extraction process to finish; the duration it requires varies based on both the size of your compressed file and also how quickly your computer operates.

Open Compressed Files Using Command Prompt

Sure, here are the simple steps to open compressed files using Command Prompt:

To launch Command Prompt, type “cmd” in the Start Menu search bar and then click on “Command Prompt”. Then you can use the ‘cd’ command to quickly navigate to your directory where the compressed file is located.
To extract the contents of a compressed file in the same folder, type the following command: tar -xf filename.tar.gz
Replace “filename.tar.gz” with the name of the compressed file you want to extract.

How To Open Compressed Files In Same Folder Using Command Prompt Image

How to Unzip Files from Dropbox on Windows 10?

Here are the steps on how to unzip files from Dropbox on Windows 10:

To access Dropbox account, open a web browser and successfully navigate to the website. Then, sign in with your personal credentials.

Locate the zipped file that you want to unzip.
To obtain the file, simply right-click it and select “Download” from the dropdown menu.
After the download has been completed, head to your computer’s Downloads folder. Locate and right-click on the installed file, then select “Extract All” from its options menu.
Utilize the “Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders” wizard to select your desired destination folder, and you’ll be finished in no time!

How to Unzip Files from Google Drive on Windows 10?

If you’re running Windows 10 and want to know how to unzip files from Google Drive, here are the steps that can help:

Open your web browser and navigate to Google Drive.
Log in Google account using the credentials username and password.

To unzip a folder, first find the zipped folder you would like to extract. Then right-click on it and choose “Download” from the options given.

Right Click On Zipped Folder And Choose Download In Google Drive Image

To start the extraction process, right-click on your downloaded file and select “Extract All” from the context menu.

Right Click On Downloaded Zip Folder And Select Extract All Image

The Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders wizard will then appear for you to specify a destination folder before completing the task at hand.

How to View What’s Inside a Password Protected ZIP File?

If you want to access the contents of a password protected ZIP file, then all you need is the secret code. Then simply take these steps and unlock your concealed data:

Unlocking a password protected ZIP folder is easy with just a few clicks! Simply right click the file, select “Extract All” from the pop-up menu and voila – you’re ready to safely open your files.
To extract the contents of your ZIP file, select ‘Browse’ within the “Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders” dialog box and designate where you would like to save it.
In the “Compressed (Zipped) Folders Extraction Wizard” window, be sure to provide your password in the designated field and then click on “Next” for access.
Choose the documents and directories you wish to unzip from the secured ZIP folder, then click on “Next.” At last, hit “Finish” to transfer these files and folders into your chosen destination.

Are Zip Folders Dangerous?

Zip folders may be just another file format for compressing and packaging files, but they can also be misused by hackers to spread malware. By concealing the malicious software in a seemingly harmless zip folder, unsuspecting users are at risk of having their computer infected when they open it – an all too common problem that puts many digital devices at peril.

To strengthen your security when receiving or downloading zip files, you should always make sure that the source is reputable. It’s also a great idea to run an antivirus scan on any zip folder before opening it. Additionally, in order to lessen your risk of exposure, never open unknown sources and avoid email attachments sent in zip format if you are unsure they can be trusted.

How to Unzip Files on MacOS?

Here are the steps to unzip files on MacOS:

Search for the compressed file that you need to uncompress.
To unzip the file, double-click on it and a new folder with the same name as your zipped file will be generated in its current location.

Alternatively, you can use the built-in “Archive Utility” to extract the contents of a zipped file:

To unzip a zipped file, simply right-click on the compressed folder and select “Open With” > “Archive Utility” from the dropdown menu. That’s all there is to it!
After the extraction is finished, you will find your uncompressed files in a folder with the same name as the zipped file. This new folder can be found in the very same directory that holds your original zipped file.

How to Unzip Files in Linux?

Here are the steps to unzip files in Linux using the command line:

Open up a terminal and use the “cd” command to go directly to the directory containing your zipped file.
To extract the contents of a zipped file, type the following command: unzip filename.zip
Replace “filename.zip” with the name of the zipped file you want to extract.
Allow the extraction to finish its operation. After it finishes up extracting, you will find all uncompressed files in the exact same folder as where you located your zipped file.

How to Unzip Files on iPhone/iPad?

With the help of third-party applications from the App Store, unzipping files on your iPhone or iPad has never been easier! Here’s how to do it:

To locate a file compression and extraction app, explore the App Store on your iPhone or iPad for an app such as WinZip, iZip, or Zip & RAR File Extractor.
Get the app you prefer and download it to your device. Once installed, find the zipped file that needs to be extracted.
To select the file, simply tap it. Then hit the “Share” button – represented by a square with an upward arrow – to open up your sharing options.
From the list of applications you downloaded, find the file compression and extraction app that will help you unzip your file. Then simply follow the instructions provided by the application to extract its contents.
Once the extraction process is over, you can effortlessly access the uncompressed files either in-app or within your device’s Files application.

How to Unzip Files using iZip app?

Here are the steps to unzip files using the iZip app for iPhone or iPad:

Download iZip for iPhone from the App Store and install it to access all of its features. Then, search for the zipped file you want to unzip.
To access a zipped file, press and hold it until a menu appears. In the subsequent pop-up window, click “Open in iZip” to begin extracting files.
After iZip launches and reveals the contents of the zipped file, simply tap on the “Extract” button at the bottom. You’re ready to go!
Select a directory to extract your files, then hit “OK.”
After the extraction process is done, you’ll find your uncompressed files in the folder of your choice.

How to Open a ZIP File on Android Devices?

To open a zip file on Android devices, you can utilize an app that has pre-programmed support for zipping and unzipping files or download a resourceful compression and extraction app from the Google Play Store in just moments. Here are some easy steps to help you get started:

Locate the zipped file on your Android device by opening up the File Manager app. Then, proceed to its directory for further instructions!
To begin the extraction process, simply tap on the zipped file to select it. Once selected, press ‘Extract’ which can be represented either by an arrow within a folder or alternatively a “…” button.
Now, select a location to store your extracted files and click “OK”.

Alternatively, you can download and install an app like WinZip, 7Zipper, or RAR from the Google Play Store. After that’s been completed:

On your Android device, locate and open the app. Then, navigate straight to the folder where you can find your zipped file!
Select the zipped file by tapping on it. To unzip, simply hit “Extract” and you’re ready to go!
Select a destination folder to extract the files.
Click “OK” and watch as your extraction process begins!
When the extraction is completed, you’ll be able to access your uncompressed files in the folder of your choice.

Related Articles:

How To Download Zip Files: The Fastest And Easiest Way

How To Zip A File On Windows, Mac, Linux, Android And iPhone

How To Open RAR Files On Different Platforms Quickly And Easily

How To Open GZ Files On Different Devices: A Comprehensive Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you zip an entire folder?

Yes! You can utilize a file compression tool to quickly and easily create one compressed file containing all the contents of an entire folder by simply selecting it.

Does Mac have a zip program?

Macs are equipped with a helpful utility called “Archive Utility,” which enables users to easily compress and decompress documents and folders into various formats, including zip.

What is the difference between a folder and a zipped folder?

A standard folder preserves the contents of a file or subfolder intact, while a zipped version is a compressed format that occupies far less storage space.

Do Zip files reduce quality?

No, Compressing files and folders does not impact the quality; it only lessens their size, making them easier to transfer or store.

How does zip reduce file size?

Zip compresses the contents of files or folders to maximize space, creating smaller and more efficient documents that are incredibly easy to transfer or save. Its algorithm eliminates redundancies while preserving quality, giving you a seamless file reduction experience.

What program is needed to open a zip file?

To unlock the contents of a zip file, you need a file compression tool such as WinZip, 7-Zip, or your operating system’s built-in compressor.

Why can’t I open/extract a zip file?

You may have difficulty to unzip a zip file due to various reasons, such as corrupted files, incompatible compression format, lack of storage space or an issue with the compressing tool.

How do I make multiple zip files?

When you are looking to make multiple zip files, simply select the items or folders that need compressing and then use a file compression tool. By doing so, each selection or group of selections will be turned into individualized zip files!

Why is there no Extract option on Windows 11?

If you’re using Windows 11 but don’t find an Extract option when right-clicking a zipped folder, it may be due to either a bug or alterations in the default settings. To rectify this issue, consider carrying out an OS update or downloading a file compression tool.

What is the Difference Between Extract and Unzip?

There is a slight distinction between extract and unzip; while the former can be utilized for various formats of compression, the latter specifically deals with ZIP file decompression. All in all, these terms refer to the same process – that being unpacking or decompressing a compressed folder or file.

What Type of Files can be Unzipped?

When it comes to files in the ZIP format, or other compressed file formats such as GZIP, RAR and 7z – you can unzip them! The only requirement is that the type of files must be compatible with your specific compression format.

Conclusion

Unzipping files on Windows 10 is easy thanks to the user-friendly file explorer or an available compression tool. Accessing these zip files and their contents with minimal effort requires only a few clicks, eliminating the need for cumbersome software or technical knowledge.

How To Unzip Files On Windows 10: Tips For Hassle-Free Extraction