Zip File Extractor for Android: Built-In Tools and Apps
Files by Google opens ZIP files with no extra app, and Samsung's My Files does too. For RAR, 7z or password-locked archives, get ZArchiver: free, no ads.
You probably do not need a zip app. Before you install one, tap the archive in the file manager that came with your phone, because it very likely opens. The apps further down are for the files it refuses.
We read Google’s and Samsung’s help pages for the built-in tools, then went through the Google Play listings of the archive apps. Three of the ten apps this article listed in 2019 can no longer be found on the store.
How to open a ZIP file with no extra app
Files by Google
Files by Google is Google’s own file manager, free on Google Play with no ads. If it is not already on your phone, it installs like any other app. Google’s help page gives these steps:
- Open Files by Google and go to the folder that holds the .zip file.
- Tap the file. A pop-up shows what is inside.
- Tap Extract. You get a preview of the extracted files.
- Tick Delete ZIP file if you no longer want the archive, then tap Done.
The extracted files land in the same folder as the archive. Google is clear about the limit: only .zip files are supported. If the phone’s storage is full, the extraction can stop with an error.
It works in the other direction as well. Select the files or folders, tap More, then Compress, and give the archive a name with no spaces or full stops in it. Google says this needs Android 8 or later.
Samsung, Xiaomi and other built-in file managers
On a Galaxy phone the app is My Files. Its Google Play listing says it can compress and decompress files, and Samsung’s support site walks through making a .zip: select the files, tap More, tap Compress and name it.
Xiaomi’s File Manager goes a step further. Its listing says it compresses and decompresses both ZIP and RAR archives.
Other phone makers ship their own file managers, and we have not checked each one. Tapping the archive costs nothing, so try that before anything else.
Zip apps for Android compared
| App | Maker | On Google Play | Opens | Creates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZArchiver | ZDevs | Free, no ads | 7z, zip, rar, rar5, tar, gzip, iso and many more | 7z, zip, tar and several others |
| RAR | RARLAB | Free, in-app purchases | RAR, ZIP, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, 7z, ISO, ARJ | RAR and ZIP |
| Easy UnRAR | RbigSoft | Free with ads | RAR, ZIP, 7z, TAR, GZ, ISO and more | ZIP and 7z |
| ALZip | ESTsoft Corp. | Free with ads | ZIP, RAR, 7Z, EGG, ALZ, TAR and more | ZIP, EGG and ALZ |
| 7Zipper 2.0 | PolarBear soft | Free with ads | zip, rar, 7zip, tar, alz, egg, lzh and more | zip and 7zip |
| WinZip | WinZip Computing | Free with ads, in-app purchases | Zip, Zipx and other common types | Zip and Zipx |
ZArchiver: the one to install
ZArchiver is free, and its Google Play page carries neither an ads label nor in-app purchases. The listing adds that the app has no permission to use the internet, so it cannot send your files anywhere.
Its listing names more formats than any other app in the table, including 7z, RAR and RAR5, ISO images and split archives. It creates 7z and zip files, among others, and it can both make and open archives protected with a password. You can also look inside an archive and pull out a single file without unpacking the lot.
There is a paid version called ZArchiver Donate. Its own listing says it cannot be bought at the moment, so the free app is the one to get.
RAR: for making RAR files
RAR comes from RARLAB, the company behind WinRAR on the PC. It is the only app in the table that creates RAR archives. It also opens the newer RAR5 format, password-protected files and archives split into parts, and it has a repair command for damaged ZIP and RAR files.
It is free with in-app purchases. Pick it over ZArchiver if you send RAR files to people as well as receive them.
Easy UnRAR, ALZip and 7Zipper
Easy UnRAR has one feature worth knowing about. Its listing says it asks for no storage permission at all. You choose the file through Android’s own file picker and the app sees nothing else. It opens password-protected RAR, ZIP and 7z archives and can create encrypted ZIP files. It is free with ads.
ALZip and 7Zipper 2.0 are file managers with an archive tool built in, and both show ads. ALZip is the one to reach for if someone sends you an EGG or ALZ file, because it creates those formats as well as opening them. Its listing also says it can extract files larger than 4GB. There is an older 7Zipper on the store from the same developer, but 2.0 is the one that also works with Google Drive and Dropbox.
WinZip: a famous name, a thin free version
WinZip is the name most people know from Windows, and that is the best reason to consider it. On Android the free version shows ads, and its listing puts three things behind the Premium upgrade: creating encrypted Zip files, zipping and emailing in one step, and direct links to cloud storage. The same listing gives its compatibility as Android 4.0 to Android 11.
ZArchiver does the password part for free. Unless you specifically need Zipx files, skip this one.
File managers that also unzip
If you would rather have one app for all your files, two general file managers list archive support. Total Commander zips, unzips and opens RAR files. Google Play marks it as containing ads, and the developer’s note on the listing says that is only a link to its own plug-ins. Material Files is open source, has no ads, and can view, extract and create common compressed files.
How to open a password-protected archive
You need the password, and it comes from whoever made the archive. ZArchiver’s listing spells this out, presumably after a lot of emails: it is not your phone’s password. None of the apps here will get you into an encrypted archive without it.
Once you have the password, ZArchiver, RAR and Easy UnRAR all say they open protected archives. Tap the file, choose to extract it and type the password when asked.
Which one to pick
- An ordinary .zip: no app. Use Files by Google or your phone’s own file manager.
- RAR, 7z or anything with a password: ZArchiver.
- You need to create RAR files: RAR.
- You do not want to give an app access to your storage: Easy UnRAR.
What happened to the old list
AndroZip, X-Zip and Zip Viewer no longer turn up when you search Google Play. B1 Archiver is still listed, but its page shows it has gone years without an update, so we have left it out. The app the old article called AL-Zipper is ALZip.
Quick answers
How do I open a zip file on Android?
Open Files by Google, tap the .zip file and tap Extract. The files appear in the same folder as the archive.
How do I open zip files on a Samsung phone?
Use My Files, the file manager on Galaxy phones, which lists compressing and decompressing among its features. Files by Google is a free download on Samsung phones too.
What opens RAR files on Android?
RAR from RARLAB and ZArchiver both open RAR and RAR5 files, and both are free to install. Files by Google does not: Google says it supports .zip only.
How do I unzip 7z files on Android?
With ZArchiver, which both opens and creates 7z archives. RAR and Easy UnRAR can open them as well.
How do I open a zip file without the password?
You cannot. Ask the person who created the archive for it.
