Zip files are one of the common ways of sending large files compressed into a single file for more convenience and easy sharing and storage.
Sometimes when you download a file from the web, it is in a zip file because they store it that to save storage space on the server. By doing so it decreases the time it takes for you to download it to your devices and keeps the tens of hundreds or thousands of files into a nicely organized in a single ZIP file.
In some Android devices, it has the option to extract it directly without any third party app, while in some case you cannot open or create ZIP files without the assistance from a third-party app.
That is why, In this tutorial, we are going to be showing you exactly how to unzip a ZIP file on your Android device.
How to Open Zip Files on Android: Step-by-step
- Step 1. Go to your Zip file folder
- Step 2. Click on Extract files to
- Step 3. Choose a Folder and click Extract
- All the files are Unzip in that folder
While for some other Android devices, this solution doesn’t apply the same. Their devices need extra third-party apps.
Does ZIP Files Work Differently on Tablets and Smartphones?
There really is no difference between Android phones or tablets. It also works on all operating system. So, it really doesn’t matter whether you are an android user or ios or window.
4 Best App to Open Zip File on Android
If your android devices don’t have the option to extract by itself, here are a few alternative ZIP file extractor apps.
1. RAR
Rar is a free, simple, easy and quick file extractor, compression program, archiver, assistant, manager. It also even acts as a basic file explorer too.
Apart from a zip file, it can also be used to open a file in these formats – TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, 7z, ISO, and ARJ files.
Unzip/open a ZIP file on RAR:
- First, go to the RAR app and open it
- Next, simply Locate the directory that your ZIP file is stored to (It will be stored mostly in ‘Download’ folder)
- Select the file and click the extract button
- Lastly, choose the destination for the extracted file. You can leave it as default or choose your selected folder and click ‘Next’
You will find all the unzipped files in the folder of your device’s file manager.
Create a ZIP file on RAR:
To create a ZIP file, you just have to reverse the process as unzipping a file. It is a pretty simple process as well too.
- First Open the RAR app
- Select all the files that you wanted to include in the new ZIP file (The maximum file size is 707MB in total)
- Next, Hit the Archive button
- It has the option to customize your Archive name, file destination, and can even set up a password
- Select ZIP
- You can either delete all the files or keep it after all the file is compressed into a new zip file
- Lastly, Hit OK
And you get yourself a new zip file.
2. ZArchiver
ZArchiver is another great android app to unzip your file. It has a simple and functional interface. It also supports over 30 different types of files including RAR and ZIP. Not to mention that it is also completely FREE
How to extract files?
Click on the archive name and select the suitable options (“Extract Here” or other) and it’s done.
It can also compress files too. Here’s how to do it.
- Select all files that you want to compress, by clicking on icons (from the left of filenames).
- Next, click one of the selected files and choose the “Compress” from the menu.
- Also, Set the desired options and press the OK button.
3. WinZip
The last in the list is the WinZip app. It performs the same function as the others in the list above. You can extract as well at the same time create a zip file too. It also has Cloud integration (such as Google Drive and Dropbox) in their upgrade version which costs around two dollars.
It also supports file types such as – ZIPX, 7X, RAR, and CBZ. Compare to others, it is a little bit more glitchy and also feature ads. But overall it does a good job.
4. B1 Archiver
B1 Archiver is another popular tool for zipping and unzipping various types of archive files. It supports files type such as ZIP, RAR, B1, as well as 34 other formats. It also has the option to create password-protected ZIP and B1 archives too.
It can browse archive files without extraction and also has a nice simple layout and design. You can get rid of the ads and obtain some pro features by upgrading it to the premium version which cost around just two dollars. I would say it’s a pretty good deal.
Was this guide helpful? or did you encounter any problems while trying out the above solution? Did we missed any of the best zip, RAR, and unzip apps for Android, let us know in the comments below!
