How to Open a .Zip File Without Winzip

This wikiHow teaches you how to extract a ZIP folder's contents without using WinZip or any other similarly paid program. While you can open a ZIP folder on virtually any platform, extracting (or 'unzipping') the folder in order to use the...

Method 1 of 4:

On Windows

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    Find the ZIP file. Go to the location of the ZIP file that you want to open.
    1. Since ZIP files store regular files and folders in a compressed format, you'll need to extract the ZIP file in order to use properly the stored files and folders.
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    Double-click the ZIP file. Doing so will open the ZIP file in a File Explorer window.
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    Click Extract. This tab is below the pink "Compressed Folder Tools" heading at the top of the window. A toolbar will appear below the Extract tab.
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    Click Extract all. It's in the toolbar. A pop-up window will appear.
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    Click Extract. This option is at the bottom of the toolbar. Your folder will begin extracting.
    1. You can also click Browse and select a different point to which you want to extract the ZIP folder's files if necessary.
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    Open the extracted folder if necessary. By default, the extracted ZIP folder—which is just a regular folder with the same name as the ZIP folder—will open as soon as the extraction is complete. If it doesn't, double-click the extracted folder to open it like usual.
    1. Once you've extracted the ZIP folder, you can use the files inside of the extracted folder like you usually would.
Method 2 of 4:

On Mac

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    Find the ZIP file. Go to the location of the ZIP file that you want to open.
    1. Since ZIP files store regular files and folders in a compressed format, you'll need to extract the ZIP file in order to use properly the stored files and folders.
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    Double-click the ZIP file. This will prompt the ZIP file to begin extracting automatically.
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    Allow the ZIP file to finish extracting. It can take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes for your ZIP file to finish extracting.
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    Open the extracted folder if necessary. By default, the extracted ZIP folder—which is just a regular folder with the same name as the ZIP folder—will open as soon as the extraction is complete. If it doesn't, double-click the extracted folder to open it like usual.
    1. Once you've extracted the ZIP folder, you can use the files inside of the extracted folder like you usually would.
Method 3 of 4:

On iPhone

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    Download iZip. iZip is a free app that can unzip ZIP files on your iPhone. To download iZip, do the following:
    1. Open your iPhone's
      Picture 12 of How to Open a .Zip File Without Winzip
      App Store.
    2. Tap Search at the bottom of the screen.
    3. Tap the search bar at the top of the screen.
    4. Type in izip, then tap Search.
    5. Tap GET.
    6. Enter your Touch ID (or Apple ID password) when prompted.
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    Move the ZIP file into the iZip folder. Since iZip cannot access your iPhone's file system, you'll need to move the ZIP file into the iZip folder by hand:
    1. Open your iPhone's
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      Files app.
    2. Go to the ZIP file.
    3. Tap and hold the ZIP file for 1 second, then release it.
    4. Tap Copy in the menu.
    5. Navigate to the iZip folder by tapping Browse, tapping On My iPhone, and tapping the iZip option.
    6. Tap and hold a blank space in the folder, then release your finger and tap Paste.
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    Open iZip. Tap the iZip app icon on one of your iPhone's Home Screens.
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    Tap Files. It's at the top of the iZip main page. Doing so opens a list of ZIP files in the "iZip" folder.
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    Tap your ZIP file. Doing so will open it; you should see a prompt appear immediately after doing this.
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    Tap OK when prompted. This will allow iZip to extract your selected ZIP file.
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    Wait for the extraction to complete. It can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes for your file to finish extracting. Once it does, the extracted folder should open.
    1. If the extracted folder doesn't open automatically, tap the folder that has the same name as your ZIP file in the "iZip" folder.
Method 4 of 4:

On Android

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    Download ES File Explorer. ES File Explorer is a free file manager app for Android that can, among other things, unzip ZIP files. To download it, do the following:
    1. Open the
      Picture 21 of How to Open a .Zip File Without Winzip
      Google Play Store.
    2. Tap the search bar.
    3. Type in es file.
    4. Tap ES File Explorer File Manager in the drop-down list of results.
    5. Tap INSTALL, then tap ACCEPT if prompted.
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    Open ES File Explorer. Tap OPEN in the Google Play Store, or tap the ES File Explorer app icon in your Android's App Drawer.
    1. You may have to swipe through a few introductory screens and tap START NOW if this is your first time opening ES File Explorer.
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    Open the "Download" folder. Tap your Android's default storage location (e.g., Internal Storage), then tap the Download folder. This will open the folder in which your ZIP file is most likely stored.
    1. If your ZIP file is stored elsewhere, tap instead the folder in which the ZIP file is stored.
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    Select the ZIP file. Long-press the ZIP file until a checkmark appears in the lower-right corner of the ZIP file's icon.
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    Tap ⋮ More. It's in the bottom-right corner of the screen. A pop-up menu will appear.
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    Tap Extract to. This option is in the pop-up menu. Doing so opens a pop-up window.
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    Tap OK when prompted. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. This will cause the ZIP file to extract to the current folder.
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    Open the extracted folder. Tap the new folder with the same name as the ZIP file. Doing so opens the new folder and allows you to view its contents.
Update 05 March 2020
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