ISO to ZIP

Convert ISO to ZIP online: extract every file from an ISO disc image and pack them into a ZIP archive. Free, private, nothing is uploaded.

Files are processed in your browser and never uploaded.

How to convert ISO to ZIP

  1. Click Choose a file or drag the .iso disc image onto the drop zone.
  2. Leave Password (only if the archive is encrypted) empty. Disc images are not password-protected; the field exists for encrypted ZIP sources.
  3. Click Convert to ZIP. Every file stored on the image is read and written into a ZIP archive.
  4. Save the result with Download. manual-cd.iso becomes manual-cd.zip.

The image is parsed by libarchive compiled to WebAssembly and the ZIP is built by zip.js, both running locally in your browser. The ISO is not uploaded anywhere.

When converting a disc image makes sense

An ISO file is a sector-by-sector copy of an optical disc's file system, usually ISO 9660, often with Joliet or Rock Ridge extensions for longer names. People end up with ISOs from old software CDs, driver discs, photo or music CDs they archived years ago, and documentation that was distributed on disc.

To use those files you would normally mount the image as a virtual drive or burn it to a disc. Turning the ISO into a ZIP is handy when you only care about the documents, pictures or installers inside it, when you want to send them to someone whose device cannot mount images (most phones and tablets cannot), or when you want the files compressed for storage. Disc images of old CDs often contain lots of uncompressed data, so the ZIP is frequently smaller than the ISO.

What does not survive the conversion

A ZIP is a container of files, not a disc. The following parts of the image are therefore not reproduced:

  • Boot information. Bootable operating system installers, rescue discs and firmware updaters lose their boot sector. Never convert an installer ISO that you intend to boot from or write to a USB stick.
  • Volume label and disc layout. Software that checks for a specific disc label or reads raw sectors will not recognise the extracted files.
  • Empty folders on the image are left out.

Files and folder paths are copied. The dates stored on the image cannot be read in the browser, so every file in the ZIP gets the current date. The ZIP is compressed with Deflate at the normal level and is not encrypted.

Tips

  • Only need one manual or driver from the disc? Extract ISO lets you download single files.
  • Browse the image first with the ZIP Viewer; it reads ISO files and shows names and sizes.
  • To turn a folder or a ZIP back into a disc image, use Create ISO or ZIP to ISO.
  • If the resulting ZIP is still large, Split ZIP breaks it into smaller, independent ZIPs.

Frequently asked questions

Can I convert a Windows or Linux installation ISO?

You can extract its files, but the resulting ZIP is not bootable and cannot replace the ISO for installing an operating system. Keep the original image for that.

Does it support DVD and Blu-ray images?

Images that use the ISO 9660 file system can be read. Images formatted with other file systems may not open. Large DVD images are also limited by memory: over 2 GB is refused, and anything above about 700 MB is slow.

Are the files changed in any way?

No. File contents are copied byte for byte; only the container changes from a disc image to a compressed ZIP.

Can I convert BIN/CUE, IMG or DMG files here?

No, this tool is for .iso images. Other disc image formats are not supported.

Copied to clipboard