Select the app you installed to manage ZIP files.

If you’re having trouble opening a ZIP file with a particular app, but are able to extract it with Windows Explorer without any problems, uninstall the app you’re using and install it again. This can happen if a third-party app tried to change the default app for ZIP files but something went wrong. One reason you may not be able to open a zipped file is that it’s association is broken.

Click OK to set the new default app association.

Enable the ‘Always use this app to open.

Look for the app you want to use and select it.

Right-click the file and go to Open With.

Open File Explorer and navigate to any ZIP file on the system.

This leaves users relying on the apps they install to set the association for them and file-app associations on Windows 10 are sometimes problematic. Set ZIP file associationsįor some reason, ZIP is not listed as a file type that you can set a default app for. Note: This will reset the default app for ALL apps including videos, photos, and your web browser.

Click the Reset button under Reset to the Microsoft recommended defaults.

Open the Settings app (Win+I keyboard shortcut).

The problem with a ZIP file not opening is essentially a file type association problem so to fix it, try resetting the association back to its default value and then change it again. In the case of ZIP files though, when setting a different default app for the file type fails, many users are unable to extract the zipped file regardless of which tool they use. Fix the ZIP file association on Windows 10 On Windows 10, file associations don’t always stick and many apps continue to open with the stock apps. How to open a ZIP file on Windows 10Īs such, the third-party app will have to be set as the default app to handle ZIP files. That said, users are still unlikely to use the stock tool and will install other apps to handle a ZIP file.

ZIP is one of the most common formats used to compress files and Windows 10 can easily extract a zipped file without needing a third-party tool for the job.

The file associates allow users to quickly extract a zipped file without having to select an app to do it each time. Third-party archiving tools like WinRAR, 7-zip, WinZip, etc, when installed, will normally have an option to set file defaults for the file formats that they handle.

Most Windows users will install a third-party tool to use in its place. Windows 10 has a basic stock utility for compressing and extracting files but it won’t work with all compression formats.

How to open zipped files on windows 8