How to view the contents of a ZIP file
- Drop an archive onto the drop zone above, or click to choose one. Besides ZIP, the viewer opens RAR, 7Z, TAR, TAR.GZ, ISO, CAB and several other formats.
- If it is an encrypted ZIP, enter Password (only if the archive is encrypted) first.
- Click Open archive. A summary line shows the format, the number of files, the unpacked total and the archive size, followed by a table of every file.
- When the archive holds more than eight files, a Filter files… box appears above the table. Type part of a name or folder to narrow the list.
- Click the download icon on any row to save just that file.
Nothing is uploaded: the archive is read by zip.js and libarchive.js inside your browser.
How a ZIP can be listed without extracting it
Every ZIP ends with a central directory, a compact index that records each entry's name, original size, compressed size, modification date, checksum and the position where its data starts. A viewer only has to read that index to draw the full file table, which is why opening a large ZIP here is quick even when it contains thousands of files. When you click download on one row, only that entry is located and decompressed; the rest of the archive is left alone.
Other formats are organised differently. A TAR file has no central index: each file's header sits directly in front of its data, so the whole tarball has to be walked through to build a listing. A .tar.gz is additionally compressed as one continuous stream and must be decompressed to read the headers inside. That is why opening a big TAR.GZ takes noticeably longer than opening a ZIP of the same size.
Reading the table
- Name – the folder path is shown in grey and the file name in bold. A lock icon marks entries that are encrypted.
- Size – the original, uncompressed size.
- Packed – for ZIP files only, the compressed size and the percentage saved. A figure near 0% usually means the file was stored without compression or was already compressed, such as a JPG or MP4. Other formats show a dash here.
- Modified – the date stored in a ZIP. For RAR, 7Z, TAR, ISO and other formats the archive engine does not expose dates, so this column shows a dash.
The Packed and Modified columns are hidden on narrow phone screens to keep the table readable. Archives made on a Mac often contain hidden __MACOSX/ folders and ._ files holding Finder metadata; these are skipped automatically, so the listing shows only real files.
Tips
- Want every file at once? Unzip Files extracts the whole archive with one click.
- Spotted files you want to rename or remove? Edit ZIP lets you change paths, untick entries and save a new copy.
- For RAR or 7Z archives you want to keep as ZIP, use RAR to ZIP or 7Z to ZIP.
- If the listing shows one huge file, Split ZIP cannot cut it in half, but it can separate it from the smaller files.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see what is inside a password-protected ZIP without the password?
Not with this viewer. It asks for the password before listing an encrypted ZIP and checks it once; a wrong one gives "Incorrect password.".
Can it open encrypted RAR or 7Z archives?
No. Password-protected RAR and 7Z archives cannot be opened in the browser. Unencrypted ones list normally.
Why are the Packed and Modified columns empty for my 7Z or RAR file?
Compressed sizes and modification dates are only shown for ZIP archives. For other formats the viewer displays the names and original sizes.
Is there a size limit?
The file is held in browser memory. Archives above roughly 700 MB are slow to open, and anything larger than 2 GB is refused.