Zip File Extractor for Android That Also Opens RAR and 7z
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.
Tap the archive in the file manager that came with your phone before you install anything. It very likely opens, and then you do not need a zip app at all. The apps further down are for the files it refuses.
How to open a ZIP file with no extra app
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, Samsung phones included. 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.
On a Galaxy phone the file manager 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, and its listing says it compresses and decompresses both ZIP and RAR archives. Other phone makers ship their own file managers too.
ZArchiver for RAR, 7z and split archives
Install ZArchiver when the phone’s own tool gives up. It 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 below, 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 get the free app.
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. To keep photos or documents locked away on the phone, as opposed to sending them in one file, a vault app is made for that.
What each archive app opens and creates
| 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 |
RAR comes from RARLAB, the company behind WinRAR on the PC, and is the only app in the table that creates RAR archives. Pick it over ZArchiver if you send RAR files to people as well as receive them. 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.
Easy UnRAR suits anyone who does not want to give an app access to their storage. 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.
ALZip and 7Zipper 2.0 are file managers with an archive tool built in. Reach for ALZip if someone sends you an EGG or ALZ file, because it creates those formats as well as opening them, and its listing also says it can extract files larger than 4GB. There is an older 7Zipper on the store from the same developer, but only 2.0 also works with Google Drive and Dropbox.
WinZip is the name most people know from Windows, and that is the best reason to consider it. Its Android 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, so unless you specifically need Zipx files, skip this one.
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.
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.
