How do I open a ZIP compressed file?

If you want to open a ZIP compressed file on your PC or laptop, this is possible both with special programs and without installing additional software. We will show you how to unzip ZIP files on Windows and macOS in this guide.

How to open ZIP compressed files with on-board tools

Once you have converted files or entire folders on your computer to ZIP format, you can also open them again at any time, unzip them and save them in their normal file format. The unpacking of ZIP files is also called extracting and can be done with the on-board tools of your computer as well as with special packing programs.

1. To open ZIP files on the Windows PC, first select the ZIP file and make a right-click.
2. From the context menu, then select the option "Extract All" and specify a location before confirming the operation with "Extract".
3. If you use a Mac, it is also first necessary to select the ZIP file to be opened and right-click to open the context menu.
4. In this then go to "Open with" > "Archive program (default)" to open the file with the default program.

These programs are suitable for opening a ZIP compressed file

As an alternative to using your computer's on-board resources, you can find some free programs on the Internet, such as WinZip, WinRAR or 7-Zip, which allow you to open and unzip the ZIP files. To use one of these packing programs, first download it to your computer and perform the installation. Then select the ZIP file you want to open and click on the name of the corresponding packing program in the context menu.