Unzip a zip file in Windows

How zip files work

When you Restore data from Backblaze, your files are packaged and compressed into a zip file. This allows multiple files to be transferred together within a single, smaller sized file. When the zip file is downloaded to your computer, you can unzip/extract the file, and all of the files contained within it will be copied to a new folder on your computer.

Unzip/Extract contents of a zip file

Note about space requirements:

Extracting data from a zip file will create a copy of the data on your computer (e.g. a 1GB zip file saved on your computer will require at least 1GB of free space to extract). If your disk space is limited, you might consider creating more free space on the drive or designating a different drive for the extraction destination.

In Windows, a zip file will often appear as a folder icon with a zipper. Right-click on this file and select "Extract All" from the menu. This function uses the built-in unzipping utility that is included with the Windows OS.

A window will appear, asking you to confirm the Destination where you'd like to extract the files. If you leave this set to the default pre-filled directory, it should create a folder in the same place as the original zip file.

When the extraction is complete, you should see a brand new folder in the Destination directory you designated previously. In the example above, you can see this new folder created in the same directory and next to the original zip file.

Open new folder with unzipped/extracted files

You should find that the newly created folder appears with a standard folder icon. If you open this folder, you should be able to view the unzipped/extracted contents normally and move the files as needed.

Using alternative unzip programs

In some cases, the built-in Windows utility for unzipping may not be compatible with the zip file you've downloaded. If you get an error while attempting to unzip, you may want to try using these alternative programs instead:

• Info-Zip: See "How to use Info-Zip (Windows)"
• 7-Zip: See "How to Unzip a Restore File with 7-Zip"

Delete zip file when complete

When you've successfully unzipped/extracted your files, you should have a copy of the contents available in a new folder. At that point, you can delete the original zip file to save space.