How to Unzip a ZIP File

Today, Mytour will show you how to move files from a compressed "ZIP" folder to a regular folder on your computer. Usually, you can't use a compressed folder until it has been unzipped. Unlike other compressed file formats (such as RAR), ZIP folders do not require special software to open on your computer. However, if you want to extract a ZIP file on your iPhone or Android device, you will need to download an app for unzipping.

Double-click on the ZIP folder. It will open up.

Click on the Extract button. This tab is located at the top of the ZIP folder window. A toolbar will appear just below the Extract tab.

Click on the Extract all button. This option can be found in the Extract toolbar. A window will pop up after you select it.

Click on the Browse… option. This can be found to the right of the address bar in the "Extract Compressed (Zipped) Files" window.

• Skip this step and the next one if you want the extracted files to be placed in the same location as the ZIP folder. The files will be saved in a new regular folder.

Select the destination folder. Click on the folder name (e.g., Desktop) in the left pane to choose the location where the extracted files will be saved.

Click on the Select Folder button at the bottom of the window. You will return to the "Extract Compressed (Zipped) Files" window.

Click the Extract button in the bottom-right corner of the window. Your files will be extracted from the ZIP folder to the location you selected.

• The time it takes to extract will depend on your computer's speed and the size of the ZIP folder.

Locate the ZIP folder. If you downloaded it from the web, it is most likely in the "Downloads" folder. You can access it by opening Finder and clicking on the Downloads folder in the left pane.

Move the ZIP folder if necessary. Once you extract the contents of the ZIP folder, the files will appear in the original folder, in the same location as the ZIP file. You can move the folder by dragging it to a different location (e.g., your desktop).

• For example, if you extract a ZIP folder on your desktop, the extracted folder will also be on the desktop.
• You can also move the ZIP folder by selecting it, pressing ⌘ Command+X to "cut" the folder, then navigate to the location where you want to extract the files, and press ⌘ Command+V to paste it.

Double-click on the ZIP folder. The contents of the folder will begin extracting to the current location.

Wait for the extraction to complete. Depending on the size of the ZIP folder, the extraction time will vary. Once finished, the extracted files will be in a regular folder marked with a blue color. This folder will have the same name as the ZIP folder and be in the same location.

• You can open the new folder by double-clicking on it.

Open the ZIP folder. Navigate to the location of the ZIP folder (for example, your email) and tap on the ZIP folder.

• You cannot use iZip to extract files from a ZIP folder located within the iPhone's Files app.

Tap on Copy to iZip (Copy to iZip). This option is available in the pop-up menu, but you may need to scroll right on the top row of options to locate the Copy to iZip action. The ZIP folder will open in iZip.

Tap OK when the prompt "Would you like to extract all files?" appears. The files will be extracted to a separate folder in iZip; once the extraction is complete, the folder will open with the extracted files inside.

• If you don't get prompted to extract all files, first tap on Extract at the bottom left of the screen.

Open WinZip. Tap on the WinZip app icon, which resembles a folder enclosed by a zipper.

• If this is your first time opening WinZip on your Android device, you may need to swipe through a few tutorial pages before tapping Start.

Select the default storage option. In most cases, you will need to choose between SD card or Internal storage as the location to save your files, or something similar.

Tap the Downloads. This option is located in the "D" section of the storage location you previously selected.

• You might need to scroll down a little to find this folder.

Select the ZIP folder. Tap the checkbox next to the name of the ZIP folder to mark it.

Tap on the "Unzip" icon, which looks like a zipper, located at the top-right corner of the screen. A menu will appear.

Choose a save location. Tap on the main location (like Storage), then select the folder where you'd like to extract the ZIP file.

Tap UNZIP HERE. This blue button is located at the bottom-right corner of the screen. The file will be extracted into a new folder at the chosen location.

• Once extraction is complete, the folder will open showing the extracted files.

• All versions of Windows and Mac come with built-in ZIP file extraction software.
• WinZip is free, but you can upgrade to a paid version for Google Drive support.

• ZIP is different from RAR, ISO, 7Z, and other compressed file formats. The methods described in this article may not work effectively if you try to extract a file that isn't a ZIP archive.