File extension ZIP
| File type | WinZIP Compressed ZIP Archive Format |
| Developer | N/A |
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What is a ZIP file?
Files with the .ZIP extension contain an archive of compressed data, namely one or multiple files or catalogs, including their file structures, that have been compressed. If there are multiple files, they are compressed separately, which enables them to be subjected to different compression methods and unpacked independently from one another.
The ZIP format is supported by most file compression and decompression software, as well as natively in the Windows and Mac OS X operating systems. Both systems allow for compression and decompression in the context menu. By default, a new archive in Windows is called Folder.Zip. The format was devised in 1989 by Phil Katz, but was initially only used in the PKZIP software created by PKWARE, Inc.
Program(s) that can open the .ZIP file
Windows
Mac OS
How to open ZIP files
If you cannot open the ZIP file on your computer - there may be several reasons. The first and most important reason (the most common) is the lack of a suitable software that supports ZIP among those that are installed on your device.
A very simple way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been done – the software supporting the ZIP file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.
Possible problems with the ZIP format files
The inability to open and operate the ZIP file does not necessarily mean that you do not have an appropriate software installed on your computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to operate the WinZIP Compressed ZIP Archive Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.
- Corruption of a ZIP file which is being opened
- Incorrect links to the ZIP file in registry entries.
- Accidental deletion of the description of the ZIP from the Windows registry
- Incomplete installation of an application that supports the ZIP format
- The ZIP file which is being opened is infected with an undesirable malware.
- The computer does not have enough hardware resources to cope with the opening of the ZIP file.
- Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a ZIP file are out of date.
If you are sure that all of these reasons do not exist in your case (or have already been eliminated), the ZIP file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the ZIP file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the ZIP file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.
Similar extensions
| .a00 | Split Multi-volume ARJ Compressed File Archive (part 2) |
| .a01 | Split Multi-volume ARJ Compressed File Archive (part 3) |
| .a02 | Split Multi-volume ARJ Compressed File Archive (part 4) |
| .ace | WinACE Compressed Ace Archive Format |
| .alz | ALZip Compressed Format |
| .ar | Linux/Unix Command Library Format |
| .arc | ARC Lossless Data Compression And Archive Format |
| .arj | ARJ Compressed Archive Format |
This extension
can be converted to:
- ZIP to EXE
- ZIP to APK
- ZIP to ARC
- ZIP to RAR
- ZIP to A00
- ZIP to ACE
- ZIP to ARJ
- ZIP to BIN
- ZIP to BZ2
- ZIP to CAB
- ZIP to DEB
- ZIP to DMG
- ZIP to EGG
- ZIP to GZ
- ZIP to JAR
- ZIP to LZH
- ZIP to SITX
- ZIP to TAR
- ZIP to TAR.GZ
- ZIP to TGZ
- ZIP to UU
- ZIP to UUE
- ZIP to Z
- ZIP to Z01
- ZIP to Z02
- ZIP to ZI
- ZIP to MP3
- ZIP to ZIPX
- ZIP to 001
- ZIP to 002
- ZIP to 7Z
- ZIP to 7-ZIP
- ZIP to ZX01
- ZIP to 003
- ZIP to 004
- ZIP to 7ZIP
- ZIP to PZIP
- ZIP to AIA
- ZIP to ISO
How to associate the file with an installed software?
If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.ZIP) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected ZIP file. From the drop-down menu select "Choose default program", then click "Browse" and find the desired program. The whole operation must be confirmed by clicking OK. The second and more difficult to do is associate the ZIP file extension to the corresponding software in the Windows Registry.
Is there one way to open unknown files?
Many files contain only simple text data. It is possible that while opening unknown files (e.g. ZIP) with a simple text editor like Windows Notepad will allow us to see some of the data encoded in the file. This method allows you to preview the contents of many files, but probably not in such a structure as a program dedicated to support them.