Very often, people who don’t know make a small mistake - when they receive it, they don’t extract files from it, but simply go into the archive, if there is a handler program, and run everything from there. It’s good if it’s some kind of photo or video, but what if there’s a program or html files there?
With this launch method (without extracting from the archive), there is a possibility that the file you launch will not be able to work correctly! This happens when this file needs other files that are in the archive to function properly. And when you run such a file from the archive, only one is extracted! So it turns out that the system simply won’t find other files and will throw an error or refuse to start it at all.
So how to extract files from an archive?
Firstly, I would like to note that archives come in different extensions. There are also various programs that work with archives. Which program should I choose to extract the archive?
In fact, we have only two programs, the most common in RuNet. This and . Well, there is also a third archiver - this is . I don’t consider it to be full-fledged, since the two programs given above are superior to it in all respects.
I have already given a series of articles on this topic, so just use the search on the site.
How to extract files from an archive, or rather, which program is better to use?
For extracting files from the archive I advise everyone to use the Win RAR program, since it works with almost all types of archives, plus its rar archives are considered the most reliable.
This is a paid program, but if you go to the Yandex.ru search engine and type the phrase there - “ download Win RAR for free"- you can easily find sites that offer to download this archiver immediately with a key (be sure to pay attention to whether the key is included or not). or you can just buy the program, the price is about 30 bucks, maybe even less.
If you already have this program installed, then you won’t have to do this!
After installing the program, links to it should appear in your context menu. That is, select any file in Explorer (Go to any drive via “”), or in Total Commander, right-click on it, and you should see the following menu:
If you don’t see these items in the context menu, then go to the program, settings item
Okay, now let's start extracting. But first you will need some kind of archive. If you don’t have it at hand, I suggest downloading the archive from here (it weighs only 2 megabytes).
Greetings!
Archiving files does not lose its popularity and remains a highly sought-after feature. In this regard, quite often users have to deal with both the most common types of archives ZIP, RAR, 7Z, and the much rarer GZ, ACE, ARJ, etc.
In this article we will look at several simple and popular methods, using which you can quickly unpack the archive you are interested in.
How to unpack a ZIP archive using standard Windows tools
The Windows operating system has built-in basic functionality for working with ZIP archives. Thanks to this, you can extract the ZIP archive without installing any third-party software.
To unpack a ZIP archive, you need to right-click on it and select the item in the context menu that appears Extract everything...
As a result, a system window will be displayed in which you can optionally specify the path to unpack the files, and if you leave everything as is, the archive will be unpacked into the folder where the archive itself is located.
Also by checking the box Show extracted files, upon completion, a file manager window will open in which these same files will be displayed.
It should be noted that to open a file located in an archive, it is not necessary to unpack the archive itself; you just need to go into it through Explorer and run the required file.
Unpacking (extracting) files from an archive using 7-ZIP
In addition to ZIP archives, there are others, for example, the very popular format RAR. To work with RAR and other types of archives, we will need to install the appropriate software.
Among the free and popular solutions, the 7-ZIP program can be especially noted. This archiver supports unpacking many different archive formats: RAR, 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2, TAR, ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, DEB, DMG, HFS, ISO, LZH, LZMA, MSI, NSIS, RPM, UDF, WIM , XAR and Z.
As you can see, the list is very extensive.
This archiver can be downloaded from the official website.
Unpacking the desired archive is as simple here as in the case of using the standard feature that the Windows operating system offers when working with ZIP archives.
By right-clicking on the archive, a context menu will be displayed, in which go to the 7-ZIP submenu and select the appropriate item:
Unpack
Unpack here
Unzip to “Folder Name”
In the column Unpack to the unpacking path is specified.
Option Paths is responsible for the structure of the unpacked archive, and if, for example, you select the option Without paths, then the archive files will be unpacked into one folder, even if they were initially located in their own subfolders in the archive.
Option Overwriting
Extracting the necessary files from the archive is available not only through the context menu, but also through the interface of the archiver itself. Having opened the required archive in 7-ZIP, select the necessary files, and then click on the button Extract.
Unpacking (extracting) files from an archive using WinRar
Another very well-known and widely used archiver is WinRar.
This archiver has an equally extensive list of supported archive types: RAR, ZIP, ZIPX, CAB, ARJ, LZH, ACE, TAR, JAR, GZip, UUE, ISO, BZIP2, XZ, Z and 7-Zip.
You can read about where to download it and how to install it in the article.
The general principle of working with the program is similar to the 7-ZIP archiver described above.
To unpack the desired archive, just right-click on the archive and select one of the options in the context menu that appears:
Extract files…– an unpacking dialog will open with path selection and other options.
Extract to current folder– unpack the archive into the current folder.
Extract to “Folder Name”– unpack the archive into a folder that will bear the name of the archive.
When you select the second or third item, the archive will be unpacked, and if you select the first item, a dialog box will be displayed in which you can set additional parameters.
Option Update mode sets the file unpacking mode:
Unpack and replace files– if the folder where the unpacking takes place already contains the same files as in the archive, then they will be replaced with them.
Unpack and update files– similar to the point above, only files that have an older creation/modification date will be replaced.
Only update existing files– only those already in the unpacking folder will be updated with files from the archive, the rest will not be unpacked at all.
Option Overwrite mode is responsible for overwriting or saving existing files, if any arise during the process of unpacking the archive.
Of the significant options, one cannot fail to note the item Do not delete files extracted with errors . This option is useful if the downloaded or otherwise obtained archive is damaged.
This option can save the situation when working with broken archives because... during normal unpacking, WinRar will give an error and will not even try to extract anything.
Naturally, the final result will depend on the degree of damage to the unpacked archive.
Extracting the necessary files from the archive is available not only through the context menu, but also through the interface of the archiver itself. Having opened the required archive in WinRar, select the necessary files, and then click on the button Extract...
If you are used to working with archives through the program interface, then you may want to use the Windows context menu.
Please note: when installing a 7-ZIP or WinRar archiver, most likely the context menu item Extract..., responsible for working with ZIP archives, will disappear from Windows Explorer.
This is due to the fact that the archiver undertakes work with both this type of archive and others.
Unpacking a multi-volume (split) archive
The creation of a multi-volume archive is resorted to in order to split one very large file into several acceptable and equal-sized parts, for example, for subsequent placement on the Internet.
A typical multi-volume archive consists of several files identical in name, which, however, differ in extension, for example: doc.z01, doc.z02, doc.z03 or doc.part1, doc.part2, doc.part3 or doc.001, doc.002, doc.003, etc.
To unpack a multi-volume archive, all parts will be required, otherwise unpacking will not be successful. A multi-volume archive does not have any other differences.
To unpack such an archive, you must specify the first file to the archiver: .z01, .part1, .001, etc.
However, it also happens that the main file in a multi-volume archive is a file with a “classic” extension. Then point it to the archiver, and the remaining parts will be pulled up automatically.
Brief summary
In this material, I tried to most fully answer the question of how to easily and quickly unpack both the most popular types of archives ZIP, RAR, 7Z, as well as rare ones.
If we talk about working with ZIP archives, you can use the feature built into the Windows operating system. And for working with other types of archives, popular archivers were given and described in detail - WInRar and 7-Zip
If you have any questions, you can ask them in the comments.
Good instructions for unpacking archives in zip and rar. How to properly archive files in zip or extract data. Available about archiving.
What is archiving
Data archiving is file compression using special algorithms. Archive is a container containing packed files.
Why do you need to compress files:
- to save money. Archiving allows you to compress digital data tens and hundreds of times without loss of quality. By the way, archiving does not always involve compression.
- for comfort. If you are transferring files over the Internet, it is inconvenient to download the entire folder with all its contents. Imagine transferring hundreds of attachments.
- for long-term file storage. Backups are often stored in zip/rar archives: not only because it is more economical, but because of the convenience of the structure: 1 file - 1 backup copy.
7zip program is a good zip and rar unpacker
Let's say you have an archive and you need to unpack it. You will need an archiver program. Depending on the format in which the archive is stored, different tools may be used. We will touch on the popular zip and rar formats.
To unpack the files we will need the 7zip archiver. It is free and available on all platforms. 7zip works very quickly. If you have a 64-bit OS and processor architecture, install the appropriate version and get increased performance. If the files are large, every percentage is important.
Unpacking the archive can be performed not only inside the archiver, but also from the context menu.
How to unpack the archive. A very simple way
Unpacking rar or zip is very easy. Make sure that 7zip is already installed and the 7zip item appears in the context menu. If you don't find it, restart your computer and check again.
How to extract files from an archive
The easiest way to unpack files into zip is through the Explorer context menu. I'm using Total Commander.
- Right-click on the archive. A context menu will appear.
- Select 7zip from the menu - Unzip to...
- After unpacking the files, a folder will be created with the name of the archive.
This way you can unpack a zip archive or any other format supported by the 7zip program.
How to archive files
Packing files is the reverse process of unpacking. It won't cause you any difficulties either.
Note. Since 7zip does not support rar packaging, we recommend sticking with zip or 7zip. By the way, 7zip in some tests outperforms rar in terms of compression efficiency by up to 5-10%. However, before you archive the file, make sure that you will be able to unzip it.
To pack files,
- In the context menu, select 7zip - Add to archive...
- Specify the archive format, compression level and other parameters. Click OK
- An archive of the same name will be created in the current folder.
What other tools will be useful when packing/unpacking files?
- File manager . If you need to unpack a zip, you don't need to install a separate application. Use the built-in tools of the Total Commander file manager. It, for example, supports both RAR (unpacking only) and ZIP.
- The WinRAR desktop archiver - initially only he, as the creator of the compression algorithm - was used to work with RAR. Times are changing, dozens of new applications have appeared on the market, but WinRAR remains a solid program that processes its native format best.
- Zip archiver for phone. An important thing if you have downloaded important files to your phone. The archiver for Android will not take up much space, but it will help out when needed. Download!
Hello, today we will show you a bunch of ways to open a zip folder and save the resulting files... We will also use software, and Windows itself has such an option - you will learn all this from the article!
To ensure that you have fewer files on your desktop that you have downloaded or created, use zip archiving. Thanks to this, the files are placed in one folder and, accordingly, do not take up as much space. But we will tell you how to open the zip folder.
In general, there is nothing difficult about this, and once you have mastered the skill, you will easily do it later. So, let's extract the archive:
How to open a zip folder and save
Method No. 1
Select the archive using a computer mouse by left-clicking on it once. The archive is highlighted - right-click, just once. A menu appears, in it we find the line “Extract files...”
A setup window will appear for extracting files from the zip archive. If you wish, you can specify the path for extracting the archive - indicate the name of the folder where you will extract the archive. In the file extraction settings window, detailed settings for archive extraction are also mentioned.
You can not specify anything at all, and then the unpacked file will appear in the current folder.
Once all the instructions have been made and entered into the settings window, click “OK”, which is located at the bottom of the window.
After you click “OK”, the command will begin execution, the command to extract folders and files from the zip archive will be launched. After a short time, the zip folder will be opened; the opening time depends on the power of your computer and the size of the created file.
In general, ZIP archives are simply files expanded using zip and with a file decompressor already included in the settings. Therefore, if you have Windows 7 Explorer, then how to open the zip folder will no longer be a question.
There is another way to unpack a zip folder; you can choose the method you like best yourself.
Method No. 2
When you need to extract all files that have been archived, just right-click on the folder. In the window that appears, look for the “extract files” command, and then go to “Path and extraction options.” There is a directory with a tree structure. Moving through the branches, you specify the folder in which you want to unzip the files or, having created a new folder, confirm your actions by clicking “OK”.
When you select “Extract to current folder,” the files are extracted to the folder in which the archive was located. For example, if the archive is on the desktop, it is there that the files will be moved when unzipped. They will be saved without a new folder.
If you specify “Extract to zip archive name” in the command, the files will be placed in a folder with the same name, similar to the zip archive.
When you click on the zip archive with the left side of the mouse, a window with the full contents of the archive will open, and by clicking on the “Extract” button, the “Extraction path and parameters” window will appear.
Method No. 3
It is also possible to save the files by clicking on the top line of the “Commands” menu, and when another window appears, click on the “Extract to specified folder” item.
As you understand, there are many ways of extraction, you will choose the most convenient one by trying all the suggested ones or immediately stopping at one. So another way:
Method No. 4
You can, after you clicked on the “Extract” command and “Path and extraction parameters”, select the files you need to unzip, and leaving them selected, drag them with the mouse into the desired folder, while it is important not to release the pressed left button, otherwise the files will not be transferred.
What’s interesting is that with this method, you don’t even have to open the folder into which you drag the files; they will be placed strictly in the order in which they were archived.
Method No. 5
It happens that for some reason the archive is not completely downloaded, but it is important to open it. In this case, right-click on the archive we need and also click “Extract files”. After opening the WinRAR menu, select the folder to extract the files. Find “Miscellaneous” in the archiver, in which you select “Leave damaged files on disk”, and then OK. The computer will give you information about the impossibility of carrying out further commands. Click “Cancel” and go to the folder previously specified for the unpacked file. The file will be there, but, of course, only the part that was transferred during archiving.
If you cannot open a folder, or errors occur when you try to unzip, it means that the archive has been damaged. In this case, try downloading the archive and opening the zip folder again.
To view files in the archive without extracting them, just double-click on the zip archive with the left side of your computer mouse. As a result, the folder will open to view its contents. In this case, the files will remain compressed.
If you have an archive consisting of several volumes, then you need all the components of the archive for unarchiving to be successful. Let's unzip the first file using the usual method described above. The remaining parts of the archive will begin the process automatically, because usually in such archives the names are followed by numbers in order and unarchiving occurs in order of priority. If there is an archive without a number in this folder, it must be opened first.
You need to know that if you created multi-volume zip archives using the WinRAR program, then these zip archives are also unpacked through this program. But WinRAR will not open multi-volume archives created using other programs. So when you open a zip folder, remember what program it was created in.
P.S.. Well, we’ve figured out how to open a zip folder and save the resulting files in four different ways - I hope you don’t have any questions, but I’ll still be glad to see your comments!
In contact with
The last two options are the most optimal and do not force a large number of actions from the user: just click and everything is unpacked. When you select the first option, a window with extraction parameters will appear. 
In this window you can specify the appropriate folder into which the unpacking will take place. Here you can also select an option such as “No paths”, in which case all files will be extracted in a solid heap, without the folders in which they were located. When you select “Overwrite”, you can activate the ability to edit files in the archive. But with standard settings, the application will make a request when it is launched.
In addition to using the context menu, you can also use the program window. To launch it, double-click on the archive icon. In the window itself, on the top panel, click “Extract”. 
Recently, users have taken a liking to this application, which can work with various RAR and ZIP files. It is also free and the experience is quite similar to other applications. When the program is installed on the computer, three additional items will appear in the archive context menu:
- Extract Here – files will be extracted to the same folder as the archive;
Extract to “folder name” – extraction will occur in the folder with the specified name. 
As you can see, there are slight similarities with 7-Zip. Although the menu items are in English, the program window has a Russian-language design. If you select the first item, the following window will open: 
To extract files, click on “Unzip” and select the appropriate folder.
This popular program is often used to extract files from archives with the rar extension. You can download the program directly from the official website of the developers. The main thing is to make sure that you are downloading the Russian version. The program is installed very simply, like most similar applications, so there shouldn’t be any problems here.
WinRAR is a paid program and it has a free trial period of 40 days. When this time is over, the program will continue to work and perform its functions, but now a window will pop up asking you to buy a license.
To unpack archives, you need to perform the same steps as in previous programs.
Right-click on the archive file and select one of the following options:
- Extract to current folder – all files will be unpacked to the same place as the archive;
Extract to “folder name” – files will be extracted to the specified folder, which will be automatically created in the same directory. 
Those who don’t really like to once again select a bunch of parameters can click on one of the last two options. But if you select the first one, a window with extraction options will open, where you can select the folder to unpack the files and a bunch of other parameters. 
- For example, in the “Update Mode” section, there are such parameters.
Extracting with replacing files - when unpacking, new files will replace similar ones with the same name that were already outside the archive. - Extracting and updating files has essentially the same effect, but only those files that are older than those in the archive will be replaced.
- Update existing files only - existing files will be updated and all others will not even be extracted. In the “Overwrite mode” section, you can set parameters for the program’s behavior when overwriting files.
In addition, using this window you can unpack damaged archives. After all, if you use standard settings, the program will generate an error and unpacking will not be possible. But if you check the box next to “Leave damaged files on disk,” then even damaged files will be pulled from the archive.
For example, in the case of music or video, they can be opened. Although this still depends on the extent of their damage in the archive.
You can also extract documents from archives through the main program window. Select everything you need and click on the “Extract” or “Wizard” button. 
In some cases, the WinRAR application can also be used to backup important information.
Just keep in mind this small feature: after installing the above applications, the standard function for extracting archives with a ZIP extension may simply disappear from the context menu.
Such archives are used when packing very large volumes of information. For example, this is convenient when recording to disk, when everything in one archive simply does not fit on one disk. The files of a multi-volume archive have a serial number in their name. Depending on the program, it can take different forms: part1, z02, 003, 004 and then right up to the very last file. To unpack such archives, you must have all the parts at once, and they must be located in one folder.
The process of extracting files from a multi-volume archive is the same as when working with regular ones. The main thing is to start extracting the first volume, and all the rest will be extracted on their own. 
If, along with the numbered parts, there is also a simple archive with the same name, then extraction must begin with it. 
Important! If a multi-volume archive with a ZIP extension was created in the WinRAR program, then it will only be extracted through this program; others are not suitable.
