How to unpack an archive file. How archives are unpacked

An archive is simply a single file that compresses other files to reduce its overall size. If you still sigh when you receive another file in a ZIP, RAR, 7-Zip or any other archive, then this article is for you.

For those who like to watch, I’m posting a video:

The easiest way to extract a ZIP archive

ZIP archives are regular files with a “.zip” extension. In fact, you don’t need any programs to simply unzip files from ZIP; everything is already built into Windows Explorer 7/8/10. Just right-click on the file and select “Extract all...” from the menu.

A dialog box will appear where you will need to specify the path to unpack the files, or leave it as default (current folder). As you can see, in the example I have a “Checklist.zip” file with a zipped Word document.

If you leave the “Show extracted files” checkbox enabled, then at the end of the unzipping procedure another Explorer window will open with a new folder open. Or you can not unpack the files at all, but go into the archive like a regular folder and open the desired file from there.

How to unpack RAR archive

Unfortunately, Explorer cannot work with RAR files. For them you need to install one of the programs that will be discussed. Demon paid program 7-Zip has long proven itself to be simple and free archiver. Can unpack files 7z, zip, rar and others.

Using the program is almost as simple, just right-click on the file and select one of the items from the “7-Zip” submenu:

“Unpack” – to open the extraction dialog
“Extract here” – to simply extract the files to the current directory
“Extract to “Folder Name” - extract files to a folder with the archive name (I recommend)

The simplest are the second and third options, because... do not require any further action. If you select the first option, the following dialog will appear:

Here we can specify our path for the files. If you select the “No paths” option, then all files from the archive will be in one heap, without subfolders. The “Overwrite” parameter is responsible for the mode of overwriting existing files. By default, the program will ask about each such file.

You can extract files not only from the right-click menu. If you double-click on the file, it will open in the 7-Zip program window. To unzip files, simply select them and click the "Extract" button

Alternative free method - Hamster Lite Archiver

I also want to introduce you to one newfangled program Hamster Lite Archiver. It's even simpler, free and has modern interface. After installing it, new items also appear in the Explorer context menu. To unpack a rar or zip archive, right-click on it and select one of the options:

Extract files… - opens a dialog window
Extract Here – extracts files into the current folder
Extract to “Folder name” - unzip to folder

Despite the fact that the context menu items are in English, the program itself is in Russian. Apparently we haven’t gotten around to translating these points yet, but by the time you read this article the situation may have already improved. The dialogue looks like this:

Universal program WinRAR

The WinRAR program is very widely used for working with RAR archives, I only use it. The program is possible. Look immediately for the Russian version in the list. Installing WinRAR It’s very easy, just click “Next” all the time. The program is paid, but with a trial period of 40 days. After the trial period ends, WinRAR continues to work, but begins to bother you with a window reminding you about the license every time you start it.

To unpack a RAR file, or any other archive, just right-click on the file and select one of the options:

Extract files... - the unpacking dialog will open
Extract to current folder – contents will appear in the current folder
Extract to "folder name" - unzip the contents into new folder with the archive name (I recommend)

The most simple options this is the second and third. If you select the first option, a dialog will appear in which you can specify the specific path where your files will be placed and a few more parameters:

Update Mode:

Extract with file replacement - if the folder already contains the same files as in the archive, then they will be replaced with new ones
Extract with file update is the same, but only older files will be replaced
Update only existing files - only the update will occur, the remaining files will not be extracted.

The “Overwrite mode” items are responsible for the behavior of the program when replacing existing files.

Using this dialog, you can unpack a damaged or incomplete archive. By default, if a file has an error, it will not be unpacked. If you check the “Leave damaged files on disk” checkbox, then the damaged archive will be partially unpacked. If it is a video or music, then it can be opened. But, of course, the completeness of the resulting file will depend on the degree of damage to the archive.

You can also unpack files from the WinRAR program window. To do this, it is enough to select necessary files and click on any of the buttons: “Extract...” or “Master”.

WinRar will also help you organize a backup of your information.

Please note that after installing any of the listed programs, the standard “Extract...” menu item for ZIP archives may disappear from Windows Explorer.

How to unpack a multi-volume archive

Multi-volume archives are created to split one huge archive into several small ones. In this case, there will be numbers at the end of the file names, for example.z01, .z02, .z03 or part1, part2, part 3 or 001, 002, 003, etc. To unpack such a multi-volume archive you will need ALL the parts, otherwise nothing good will come of it. The unpacking process itself is no different from the usual one.

You just need to unzip the first file from the list in the usual way, and the rest will be downloaded automatically.

If, in addition to the numbered parts, there is also a “regular” archive, then it is this file that needs to be unpacked, it is the main one.

Please note that multi-volume ZIP archives created by WinRAR can only be unpacked with the same program! Other programs give an error and even if you crack! And vice versa, WinRAR does not understand multi-volume files created by other programs.

Conclusions:

So, you can extract files from zip, rar, 7z archives using Windows Explorer (ZIP only) or using the free programs 7-Zip and Hamster Lite Archiver, as well as using the paid program WinRAR. Choose a method that is convenient for you and use it for your health!

Imagine how grateful your friends will be if you share this information with them in social networks! By the way, you can also create your own archives using these programs.

A ZIP archive is an ordinary file in which other files are stored. Archives are often used to reduce the total size of all files in total. If this is your first time encountering such archives, then you probably have a question about how to this archive unpack.

Below we will look at two methods that will allow you to unzip a ZIP archive.

Method 1. Using standard Windows tools

For that matter, to extract files from an archive, users do not necessarily need to install third-party programs, because this procedure can be quite successfully performed using standard Windows tools.

To do this, simply right-click on the ZIP archive and go to "Extract All" .

A new window will appear on the screen in which you need to specify the path on the computer where the extracted files will be saved. After that, all you have to do is press the button "Extract" to begin the unpacking process.

After a few moments, you can find the unpacked files in the folder you specified.

In addition, you can unzip files in much more in a simple way: Just double-click on the archive with the left mouse button, after which the files it contains will open as in a regular folder.

Method 2. Using WinRAR program

WinRAR is the most popular program for unpacking various formats archives. The program has Russian-language interface and all the basic functions that allow you to work with archives, i.e. you can both unpack and create archives. In addition, through this program, if necessary, you can.

You can download the program for free using the link at the end of the article. Having finished simple procedure installation, all archives by default can be opened using this program.

To unpack an existing archive, just right-click on it and go to "Extract to files" . Also, with the help of this program you can, which, in fact, are also archives.

Specify the folder where the files will be extracted and click the button "OK" . After this, the program will begin unzipping, which depends on the number and size of files.

In addition, as in the previous method, you can double-click on the archive icon with the left mouse button, after which the same WinRAR window will open.

What do we end up with? Standard using Windows you can easily unpack ZIP archives, but with RAR archives without third party programs no longer possible. WinRAR, in addition to supporting all known archives, allows you to pack files into an archive, and even set a password for the archive. But what method to use to extract files from a ZIP archive is up to you.

Download WinRAR for free

Download the program from the official website

Archiving is a popular and effective option for compressing folders and different files, which helps reduce their volume. The resulting document can be shared with other users, copied, and, if necessary, unzipped to extract the contents. U inexperienced users problems arise, below are several ways to unzip files from different formats.

What is a file archiver

This special program, which is necessary for data compression. To do this, they use a special algorithm that reduces the size of files. Archive – a container with packed documents. The archiver works in reverse side and can extract information from volumes. Why use archiving:

Saving. When archiving, you save space on your hard drive, the volume is reduced tenfold. Sometimes the archive does not compress the data.
Convenience. When transferring data over the Internet, a problem often arises that the service does not send the entire folder and offers to do this with each file separately. Through the file archive, you can send all the data at once.
Long-term storage. Use rar/zip volume systems to create backup copies important bases data. This is reliable and convenient when there is 1 backup copy in 1 file.

This is the process of extracting from a packed volume necessary information. The algorithm has the ability to unpack the entire data or extract individual data from it. The procedure can be performed using different tools. Some of them are built directly into the Windows or Mac operating system, some are third-party software (paid or free).

Using archivers

Simple and convenient option There will be special programs that can pack and unpack files. They are called archivers, they are able to work with a certain data format, but certain versions of the software recognize all types of packed data. The archive is unpacked using the following means:

built-in Windows tool – works only with Zip format, free;
winrar program– distributed on a paid basis, works with rar, zip formats;
Hamster Lite Archiver – free program, convenient and modern interface. Easy to use, works with zip and rar format;
daemon tools – powerful tool, which decompresses compressed volumes, is able to recognize virtual image disk.

Free utility Hamster Lite Archiver

It is modern, comfortable and simple program with a clear interface. It can be downloaded for free, but use trusted resources for this and do not download the application from dubious sites. The utility works with ZIP and RAR extensions. Install the application on your computer using the executable file. After this, additional items will appear in your context menu when you right-click on a packed volume (they are written in English, but the program itself is in Russian):

Extract files – when clicked, a dialog box will appear;
Extract Here – unpack data into the same folder where the volume is located;
Extract to – you can select where to extract the contents of the volume.

How to unzip a file

If a packed volume with data has arrived on your computer, you will not be able to open it without special programs. The exception is the ZIP format, which is compatible with the built-in Windows tool unpacking. In other cases, you will need to install one of the utilities for working with archives. There are two types of utilities for working with volumes:

Add to context menu by right-clicking new items through which content is retrieved.
They launch their own environment where they need to upload a file and can unpack it, run it, or write it to another medium (flash drive, disk).

The program is widely used when it is necessary to unpack rar archive format. It’s better to download it from the official website; you can select the language to use right there (Russian is available). The installation is simple: run the executable file, specify the directory where to install the application. The archiver is distributed on a paid basis, but you can try it for the first 40 days without paying. After this time, the utility still works, but an annoying window constantly pops up reminding you to purchase WinRAR.

After installation, additional items appear in the context menu using RMB (right mouse button). When clicked you will find the following options:

Extract files – a window with unpacking options will appear;
Extract to current folder – all content from the top will go to the same directory where the archive is located;
Extract to – helps to unpack data into a new folder with a name like the archive.

It's easier to use the last and penultimate option. When you select the first item, you will need to specify the location where to unzip the files through a dialog box. This option opens some additional features, for example:

Extract and replace files. If the folder already contains documents with the same name, they will be replaced with data from the volume.
Extract from update. In this case, old documents will be overwritten with new ones (with the latest date).
Update only existing ones. This option will extract only the data that is already in the folder, the rest will remain in the volume.

Archiver 7-Zip and WinZip

There are several formats that are used when compressing documents. Together with RAR files ZIP packaging is widely used. In essence, it is the same processed and packaged volume of information. To unpack ZIP you need to use the WinZip program, which is very similar to WinRar both in functionality and distribution system ( trial period, and then payment). All Windows owners can use the system's built-in tool to extract data from ZIP archive.

Another option for working with this archive format is 7-zip. This is a free program that is popular and allows you to fully work with packaged documents. Download the utility from the official website and go through the installation process. After installation in additional menu you will have new points to work with ZIP files. The options for unpacking are the same as those already described above:

unpack into...;
unpack here...;
unpack...

The program has own environment for work, which can be launched through the executive file after installation. You can choose directly from it necessary files for unpacking and exclude those that are not needed. Simply use the CTRL button to highlight the required archives and click the “Extract” button. Next will appear additional window, where you can gently indicate the place where to unpack the data.

Features of extracting SFX archives

There is a separate and unique archive format - self-extracting. They are called SFX and have Exe extension after the point. The essence of such packaging is that the volume contains both the archive part itself and a special code. Thanks to this, he is able to independently unpack the contents, additional programs are not needed for this. This is a very convenient format if the computer has a fresh system and there is no unzipping application yet. Sometimes this format is used by attackers to silently install malware along with other programs.

When it is necessary to compress and pack a large amount of data or information from a disk so that it can be launched later, the ISO archive format is used. You can unpack it with any archiver described above (WinRar, WinZIPm 7-zip). You just need to right-click on it and select the extraction option that suits you. At double click on the file you will see the contents of the image. You can unzip all documents completely or select individual ones and extract them.

There is a special program that belongs to the group of professional tools for working with ISO files. The application allows you to unpack the image, mount it into a drive, create archives and perform other actions with the archive. The utility is called UltraISO, a Trial version is available for review, then you need to pay for it. To work with the program, use these instructions:

Install the application on your computer and launch it.
Open the required image using the “File” item, then “Open”. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+O.
Select the contents of the image and right-click. A menu will appear where you need to click on the “Extract” line.
Select the directory where the information will be copied and wait until the program completes unpacking.

A simple archiver for extracting files

Starting from operating version 7 Windows systems during installation you have the opportunity to open any archives with ZIP extension. To do this, you do not need to download additional programs or utilities. The built-in tool of the system recognizes the archive and can unpack it independently, but this only concerns ZIP format, it will not be able to process RAR. To extract files you need:

Right-click on the packed volume.
Find the line “Extract all...” in the menu and click on it.
A new dialog box will appear, specify the path where to unpack the contents.
If you check the box next to the “Show extracted files” option, then after the unzipping procedure a folder with unpacked documents will appear.
If you wish, you can not extract the contents and run the document directly from the archive.

An emulator program to create an image of the source disk

To work with complex archives that not only contain individual documents, but also act as a full copy of the installation or boot disk, emulator programs are used. An example of such an application can be considered the UltraISO discussed above or Daemon Tools Lite. Latest utility distributed in a stripped-down version for free, the developers offer to download it to try it out standard features.

You can unpack the contents when help Daemon Tools or create virtual drive and “insert” the image into it. Latest version The utility automatically sends the image to the drive. Next, just go to my computer, find virtual disk from the list, double-click on it. You will see the contents of the image and can use it as you wish, as if you had a real CD inserted.

Features of the procedure

Situations may arise in which it is not possible to unpack the archive immediately. For example, the creator can set a password on it so that only trusted persons have access to it. Some problems could also arise during archiving of documents and some of them would be damaged. The programs have built-in functionality by default to solve these problems. Options for overcoming these difficulties are discussed below.

The password is set at the archive creation stage and you will need to enter it to unarchive. Differences in retrieving such data in different programs No. The main thing is that without knowing the password you will not be able to “get” the contents, an error will simply pop up. This type of archive in the directory has an additional asterisk icon, which indicates its protection. If you have access to the volume, then you can unpack it using the standard algorithm:

Right-click on the volume and click “Extract”.
Next, a window will appear where you must enter a password. If you don't know the code, then at this stage you will stop.
After entering the password, click the “OK” button and the data will be extracted to the specified folder.

Unpacking a damaged archive

When packaging or copying data from the Internet, an error may have occurred within the archive. With standard unpacking, the program will issue a warning. That the procedure cannot be carried out. To copy the necessary information, you must check the box next to “Leave damaged files on disk.” The archive will open and be extracted, then you can try to restore the missing documents. If it is music or video, then you will be able to play them, but their performance depends on the degree of damage.

To split volumes that are too large, use several small ones. As a rule, they have a serial designation, for example: .z01, .z02, .z03 or Part1, Part2, Part3. To extract data from multi-volume archives, all parts must be available. If there are only 5 parts, and you lost 3 or 4 somewhere, then you won’t be able to complete the process and fully use the contents. You can unpack the contents according to the instructions described above, but you should always start from the first part

In the usual way extract the information and the remaining volumes are unzipped into automatic mode. If the package contains a volume without a number, then you should start with it, it will be the basic one. Keep in mind that to work with multi-volume archives, you need the program in which they were created. If packaging was carried out at WinRAR help, then the extraction must be done through it; this cannot be done using WinZIP.

Video

Below we will look at two methods that will allow you to unzip a ZIP archive.

Method 1. Using standard Windows tools

To do this, simply right-click on the ZIP archive and go to "Extract All" .

After a few moments, you can find the unpacked files in the folder you specified.

In addition, you can unzip files in a much simpler way: just double-click on the archive with the left mouse button, after which the files contained in it will open as in a regular folder.

Method 2. Using WinRAR program

WinRAR is the most popular program for unpacking various archive formats. The program has a Russian-language interface and all the basic functions that allow you to work with archives, i.e. you can both unpack and create archives. In addition, through this program, if necessary, you can.

You can download the program for free using the link at the end of the article. Having completed the simple installation procedure, all archives by default can be opened using this program.

To unpack an existing archive, just right-click on it and go to "Extract to files" . Also, with the help of this program you can, which, in fact, are also archives.

Specify the folder where the files will be extracted and click the button "OK" . After this, the program will begin unzipping, which depends on the number and size of files.

In addition, as in the previous method, you can double-click on the archive icon with the left mouse button, after which the same WinRAR window will open.

What do we end up with? By standard means Windows can easily unpack ZIP archives, but with RAR archives you can’t do it without third-party programs. WinRAR, in addition to supporting all known archives, allows you to pack files into an archive, and even set a password for the archive. But what method to use to extract files from a ZIP archive is up to you.

Download WinRAR for free

Download the program from the official website

ZIP– a format that is supported by most operating systems. Main advantage The extension is that special archiver programs are not required to unpack it.

RAR– a format that can contain huge amounts of data. Main advantage– high compression ratio.

7- ZIP– personal format of the 7-Zip archiver program. Main advantage– high compression ratio.

Differences in the process of working with archives different formats consist mainly of speed unpacking/packing files and their extent compression.

For.zip characteristic features are high speed archiving and versatility. Popularity of electronic documents type zip due to the fact that they can be opened by default in any operating system without any additional utilities. Regarding the speed of working with data, this advantage is noticeable only with compression large quantity information with a volume of 1 GB or more. The format provides for dividing archives across disks. The only difference between zip and .7-zip is more high compression ratio data in the second extension.

Folding of electronic documents in .rar is usually much better than in the previous two extensions. Unique peculiarity format – a function of multi-volume archives, which is much more convenient than dividing them across disks. There are many additions to this data structure that are not available in .zip. For example, blocking archive, recovery damaged files, addition new ones and so on. In addition, in .rar you can pack huge amounts of information, while zip only works with documents that do not exceed 2 GB in size.

Which program should I use to extract .rar and .zip formats?

WinRAR one of the most popular utilities for these extensions. It is the best in terms of speed and information compression. The archiver has a clear interface and many settings. WinRAR is a paid program, but you can download a trial version on the Internet and on the official website.

There are two ways to unzip in this utility.

In order to quickly remove documents from the archive, you need to right-click on it. In the window that opens, click “ Extract to (name)».

After this, the extraction process will begin into a new folder with an identical name.

If you need to remove part of the documents or tune unpack, then left click double click on the archive. The corresponding window will pop up:

Here we select the files to extract. After that, click on the corresponding icon. In the next window, select the desired parameters or leave everything unchanged and click “ OK».

When WinRAR finishes working, a folder with a similar name will be visible next to the archive.

How to unpack 7-zip format

7- Zip– popular and convenient program for actions with archives of different formats. Archiver with simple settings and a high degree of compression is freely available - you can use it for free.

To unzip electronic document 7-zip extension, you need to click on it right click mouse, select " 7- Zip", then " Unpack here».

After this, the files will be placed in the folder where the archive is located. If you select " Unpack", then the dialogue will pop up:

Here you can indicate the space on the disk where you want to place the documents after unpacking. If in the field " Paths» select option « Without paths", then the program will collect all files into one pile (without directories). In the field " Overwriting» You can select the dubbing mode for existing documents. Standard settings force the utility to ask about this function every time.