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15 Free Programs To Unzip Files

You may download files that need unzipped. This means there are one or more files that are held up in a zipped up folder. The folder must be unzipped to be used.

Why Do I Need One Of These Unzip Programs?

If you download a file that has an extension of RAR, ZIP, TAR, 7Z, and many other similar archive types, it's necessary to open the compressed file to find the files inside that you want to use.

For the most part, when you download portable programs, a collections of photos, or any other group of files, all the data is held in one folder. But because you can't download a folder at once, the person giving out the files place them in a zipped up folder. You must unzip files from an archive file to use them.

Here are some free programs that can unzip files. Each of these are free to use, and some even have portable download options so you can run the unzip program from a USB dive without installation.



7-Zip


7-Zip is by far my favorite program for unzipping files. It's easy to use and is really quick when you need to unzip files.

7-Zip supports many file types, so you can unzip nearly any compressed file.

Side Note: The download page for 7-Zip has several different download links. The very first download link should work fine for all versions of Windows. Use the first link if you're unsure which to use.



PeaZip


PeaZip is another free program that can unzip files. Like 7-Zip, it supports over 150 formats.

Some of these supported formats that can be used with PeaZip is RAR, TAR, 7Z, ZIP, and ZIPX.

Download PeaZip

Download PeaZip Portable

jZip


jZip is similar to the other programs I've listed here, as it can unzip files such as TAR, GZip, and RAR.


CAM Unzip


CAM Unzip can act as either a regularly installed unzip program or it can be ran as a portable program.

CAM Unzip supports common file formats when unzipping compressed files.


ZipGenius


ZipGenius is another free unzipper that supports more than 20 archive file types. 


UnzipLite


UnzipLite is a free program to unzip files. It supports opening ZIP, RAR, ARJ, CAB, FAT, ISO, TAR, VHD, and other file types.

If you're using UnzipLite to compress files, it supports AES-256 encryption for 7Z and ZIP file formats.


Free Zip Wizard


This is another free ZIP extractor from the popular CoffeeCup company. It looks like ZIP files may be the only file format it can open, but it also includes a built-in FTP function to upload ZIP files from within the program. 

Another neat feature is that you can email the ZIP from the program without manually opening your mail program.


BiGZip


BiGZip hasn't been updated since 2001, but it is still useful as a free decompressor. You may try some others from this list first, as BiGZip isn't really the most user friendly program.


File Extractor


File Extractor is a free program from FriedCookie that can extract files from ARC, JAR, RAR, and other compressed file types.

File Extractor installs in literally seconds. You can drag and drop files into the program or click browse to find the archives that need decompressed.

Then just choose where the files should go to unzip them.


AlZip


To use AlZip, you'll be shown a serial number before downloading the program. Use this to activate it once you open AlZip on your computer.

AlZip can unzip 40 different archive file types, including ZIP, EGG, and TAR.


Zipper


According to the developer's website, "Explaining how to use Zipper is hard than actually using it." I'd have to only partly agree. While Zipper is easy to use, it's not that user friendly and especially not as visually appealing as the other programs in this list.

Side Note: If installing in Windows Vista or above, ensure to run the install as an administrator. Also, Zipper installs in C:\Program Files (x86)\ZIPPR. No shortcut was made when I installed it, so I had to navigate to the install directory and launch zippr100.exe manually.

Download Zipper

Zipeg


Zipeg is another free file unzipping program that supports popular archive formats such as ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZ, TGZ, ISO, and CBZ.

The program is rather easy to use but looks a little outdated. However, it's easier to use than Zipper.

Download Zipeg

IZArc


IZArc has a nice, clean interface that makes unzipping compressed files easy. Among others, IZArc supports the following archive file types: 7Z, A, ACE, ARC, ARJ, B64, BH, BIN, BZ2, BZA, C2D, and CDI.

See the rest of the supported formats on the IZArc Features page.


Free RAR Extract Frog


If you're just looking for a RAR extractor, Free RAR Extract Frog may be your solution. You can drag and drop RAR files into the program or extract RAR files from the right-click context menu.

There are minimal settings in Free RAR Extract Frog, so you won't be overwhelmed with useless or cluttered options.

Download Free RAR Extract Frog

TUGZip


TUGZip is a free archiving utility that can unzip many file formats, including RAR, TAR, TAZ, ZOO, DEB, ARJ, JAR, LHA, and others you can find on the TUGZip homepage.


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