Extract Zip File

Drag and drop a ZIP file

ZIP File Extractor

ZIP Extractor is a free tool that lets you access and create ZIP files in Google Drive and Gmail. We're proud to have more than 160 million users!

ZIP Extractor allows you to open a ZIP file of your choice and then unpack, view, and download the files within.

Start by opening or creating a ZIP file using one of the buttons below.

How to Use ZIP Extractor

To begin, choose a ZIP file to open from Gmail, Google Drive, or your computer. You may also use drag and drop.

Once shown, click on any file within the ZIP to view or download it.

Press the "Extract" button to save the selected files to Google Drive.

The unzipped files will be saved in a new folder in Google Drive called "(Unzipped Files)."

After extraction, click "View Files" to access the unzipped files on Google Drive.

How the ZIP Extractor Works

ZIP Extractor is a pure JavaScript web application that runs totally within your web browser. All extraction and decompression occur on your machine, not on a server.

ZIP Extractor can open files that are password encrypted. The password is only used on your computer to open the file; it is never sent over the network.

ZIP Extractor supports the following file formats: ZIP, RAR, 7-Zip (*.7z), TAR, GZIP (*.gz), BZIP2 (*.bz2), LZIP (*.lz), and XZ.

General Information about ZIP files.

ZIP files combine one or more files into a single file known as an archive, compressing and reducing their size. The ZIP file format is widely used for quickly storing and sharing groups of information in a number of professional and personal applications.

The ZIP file format originated in the late 1980s when it was widely used in pre-internet Bulletin Board Systems (BBSs). File transfer speeds were far slower back then than they are now. ZIP compression frequently reduced the time it took to transport files by minutes or hours. It also enabled many files and folders to be combined ("zipped") and sent as a single ZIP file. The recipient of a ZIP file would next use a decompression tool to extract or "unzip" the file contents on the user's computer.

Today, the ZIP file format is widely used, with billions of files in circulation. ZIP files are frequently used as Gmail attachments, Google Drive, and other cloud-based storage systems like Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive.

Examples of Zip File Uses

ZIP files are commonly used in a wide range of industries, including medical, insurance, legal, mortgage, banking and finance, scientific, equities and trading, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and education.

Examples of Zip File Uses

A vehicle insurance representative ZIPs and emails information about a customer's health insurance, homeowners insurance, auto insurance, or life insurance policy.

When purchasing a home, a real estate agent scans and ZIPs the sales contract before sending it to a mortgage broker for a home loan.

An attorney or lawyer from a law firm generates a ZIP file comprising a group of connected legal documents such as a will, trust, claim, or other estate planning documents.

A university student ZIPs a homework assignment and associated files before sending it to their instructor or professor in a classroom or online degree program.

A tax accountant ZIPs and emails a copy of a client's federal and state tax forms for inspection prior to filing with the IRS.

ZIP files can include numerous file kinds. PDFs, photos, videos, and Microsoft Office documents such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint are all common file types that can be included in a ZIP package.

Creating and Opening ZIP files

ZIP Extractor and most recent operating systems include capabilities for creating ZIP files.

To create a ZIP file on Windows or a PC, right-click on files in Windows Explorer and select "Send to -> Compressed (zipped) Folder."

On a Mac with Mac OS, make a ZIP file by right-clicking files in Finder and selecting "Compress [name_of_file]."

On a Chromebook running Chrome OS, select one additional file in the Files app and then "Zip selection." Chrome OS extracts the files and opens them in a new window.

Open the ZIP file from Google Drive by selecting "Open with ZIP Extractor."

ZIP Extractor for Gmail

ZIP Extractor for Gmail is a free Chrome extension that allows you to quickly and securely extract ZIP files from Gmail attachments.

Gmail ZIP Extractor works in your web browser, much like the online ZIP Extractor described above.

The extension opens ZIP files within your Gmail inbox. ZIP Extractor decrypts files locally, meaning your data is secure.

You can use ZIP Extractor to view and download the contents of a ZIP file from Gmail, then re-zip files and email them back.

ZIP Extractor for Gmail supports opening files up to 1 GB in size, so you can easily handle larger ZIP files without downloading them first.

After extracting a ZIP file from Gmail, you can choose to save the files directly to your computer or Google Drive.