How to Unzip a .Zip File on a Mac

Co-authored by Luigi Oppido and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: December 3, 2020 References Tested

If you’ve ever downloaded a large amount of data onto your computer, you’ve probably come across a .zip file or two. .Zip files are compressed files, so they're quicker to download and easier to access. However, you do have to unzip them to get to the actual information on your computer. There are 3 main ways to do this on a Mac: double clicking, using your terminal, and using an extension. If one method doesn’t work, move onto the next one until you find the one that does.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Double Clicking

1
Find the .zip archive file in the Finder. Open up your Finder and locate the .zip archive file that you’ve downloaded. It should be named something like “Archive.zip.”^{[1]
X
Research source}
2
Double click the .zip archive. This will start the unzipping process.^{[2]
X
Expert Source

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist
Expert Interview. 31 July 2019.}^{[3]
X
Research source}
- If you want to unzip multiple folders, shift-click to highlight all of the folders.
Advertisement
3
Click on the contents of the .zip archive to open them up. The unzipped folder should be in the same spot that you found the Archive.zip folder.^{[4]
X
Research source}

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Unzipping .Zip Files on Mac Terminal

1
Open Spotlight Search. Click on the magnifying glass on the top right corner.^{[5]
X
Research source}
2
Drag the .zip file to your desktop.^{[6]
X
Research source}
3
Type in "Terminal" and open the application.^{[7]
X
Research source}
4
Type in "cd desktop" and click Enter.
5
Type in "unzip file name" and click enter again. Where the template say file name, type the full file name including the .zip.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- For example, if the file is titled "file.zip", type in cd desktop, click enter, type in unzip file.zip and click enter again.
6
Open the new unzipped file. You can double click on it to open up the contents.^{[9]
X
Research source}

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Third Party Extraction Tools

1
Download a third-party extension. You can do a quick Google search to find free downloads of third-party extensions to use. On Mac, there are a few to choose from, including:^{[10]
X
Research source}
- The Unarchiver
- WinZip (Mac Edition)^{[11]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Luigi Oppido
  Computer & Tech Specialist
  Expert Interview. 31 July 2019.}
- Keka
- Better Zip 4
2
Find your Archive.zip file. It should be in your Mac Finder where you downloaded it.^{[12]
X
Research source}
3
Click File, then Get info menu. This will open up a drop down box where you can choose from a few different options.^{[13]
X
Research source}
4
Scroll to Open, then select your third-party extension. If you’ve downloaded it onto your computer, you should be able to use it right away.^{[14]
X
Research source}
- If the third-party extension isn’t showing up, try restarting your computer.
5
Select “Change all.” This will start the process of unzipping your files. Your unzipped content will show up in the same spot as your Archive.zip folder.^{[15]
X
Research source}

Expert Q&A
Did you know you can get expert answers for this article? Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow

Question

Why can't I open my zip file?

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist
Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.

Luigi Oppido

Computer & Tech Specialist

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

You may need to download a third-party app on older computers that allows you to open zip files, such as WinZip.
Question

When I do this exercise, I get the response: Either this file is not a zipfile, or it constitutes one disk of a multi-part archive. What can I do?

Community Answer

Use Archive utility. If that fails, continue to try with either ZipEx for Mac or Winrar for Mac.