Archive Viewer
Look inside a ZIP, TAR, GZ, RAR or 7z without extracting it.
- Free
- No signup
- Nothing uploaded
- No watermark
Opened in this tab. Nothing is uploaded, so you can look inside a file from someone else before you trust it.
How to Use the Archive Viewer Online
Archive Viewer opens a ZIP, TAR, GZ, TAR.GZ, RAR or 7z and lists what is inside without unpacking it to disk. You see the format, how many entries there are, the total uncompressed size, and a mark on any encrypted entry. Type in the filter box to find one file among hundreds, or switch to the tree view to open folders one at a time. For ZIP, TAR, GZ and 7z you can extract everything, or save a single file, from the same screen.
Looks inside a ZIP, TAR, GZ, RAR or 7z without extracting it. Worth doing before every extraction: some archives expand into the current directory rather than a folder, scattering hundreds of files across wherever you stood, and the listing tells you which kind you have.
No software to install Free Works on any device
Step-by-Step Guide to Using the Archive Viewer
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1. Choose a file or folder
It is read in this tab and never uploaded.
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2. The result appears as soon as it has been read
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3. Copy or download whatever you need from it
What is the Archive Viewer?
Looks inside a ZIP, TAR, GZ, RAR or 7z without extracting it. Worth doing before every extraction: some archives expand into the current directory rather than a folder, scattering hundreds of files across wherever you stood, and the listing tells you which kind you have.
ZIP files
.ZIP .TAR .GZLook inside a ZIP, TAR, GZ, RAR or 7z without extracting it.
At a glance
- Takes: ZIP, TAR, GZ, TAR.GZ, RAR or 7z, one archive
- Shows: Format, entry count, uncompressed total and how much smaller the archive is
- Per entry: Name, size, date where the format keeps one, and whether it is encrypted
- Views: A flat list with a filter, or a folder tree
- Extract: ZIP, TAR, GZ and 7z: everything as one ZIP, or one file on its own
- 7z: Read by 7-Zip compiled to WebAssembly, fetched once when a 7z is opened
- Corruption: A truncated 7z or gzip stream is reported rather than half-read
- Runs: In your browser; the archive is not uploaded
Why Use File and Archive Tools?
A ZIP from a colleague, a download with no extension or a folder full of badly named files can stop work for a while. These tools unpack, identify, hash and rename files inside your browser, so nothing is uploaded to find out what it is.
“Know what a file is before you open it.”
- Archives opened without software
- Downloads checked with hashes
- Duplicate files found
- Big files packed smaller
- Unknown files identified
- Files renamed in bulk
- Folders compared quickly
- Contents never leave your computer
Popular Uses for ZIP and File Tools
These tools help with the small file puzzles that come up every week.
- Opening RAR files See and extract what is inside an archive on a computer with no unzip program.
- Checking a download Compare a file’s SHA-256 checksum with the one on the download page.
- Mystery files Find the real type of a file that has lost its extension or has the wrong one.
- Renaming photos Rename a folder of camera photos with dates or numbers in one go.
- Clearing duplicates Find repeated files taking up space in a downloads or photos folder.
- Sending many files Pack several documents into one ZIP so they travel as a single attachment.
- Comparing folders See which files differ between a backup folder and the working copy.
- Reading file details Check a file’s size, dates and hidden metadata before sharing it.
What You Can Do with the Archive Viewer
Accepts ZIP, TAR, GZ, RAR, 7Z
Understands ZIP structure rather than treating the file as bytes
Reads the archive’s own directory, so a truncated or corrupt file is reported rather than half-extracted
Lists what is inside before anything is written to disk
Why Use ToolXkit for Archive Viewer?
Your files stay with you
Everything runs inside your browser. Nothing you open or type is uploaded to a server.
Free, with no catch
No signup, no watermark and no daily limit on how often you use it.
Fast
Results appear in seconds, because nothing has to travel over the internet and back.
Works on any device
Use it on a computer, tablet or phone, in Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.
Nothing to install
No app, no extension and no desktop program. Open the page and start.
Made for real people
Plain words and clear buttons, built by one developer who wanted tools like this to exist.
Archive Tools for Different Users
Office workers
Open ZIP attachments and bundle reports together without extra software.
Developers
Check signatures, MIME types and hashes, and create TAR or GZIP files.
IT support staff
Identify strange files and verify downloads before installing anything on a machine.
Photographers
Rename shoots in bulk and find duplicates before backing up a card.
Students
Unpack course material and zip up project folders for submission.
Security-minded users
Check what a file really is before trusting its name or icon.
Best Times to Unpack or Check a File
File tools are useful when you are:
- Opening an archive on a new computer
- Verifying a software download
- Stuck with a file that won’t open
- Tidying a messy downloads folder
- Emailing a folder of documents
- Checking a backup is complete
- Renaming lots of photos
- Freeing space on a full drive
Tips and Good to Know
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RAR contents are listed but cannot be extracted here, because RAR decompression has no open implementation. Unpack with 7-Zip, WinRAR or The Unarchiver.
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Password-protected ZIPs cannot be opened. A 7z with a password can: type it in the box that appears and open the archive again.
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Extracted files come back as one ZIP, because a web page cannot write a folder to disk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to common questions about this tool.
Do I need to install anything to use the Archive Viewer?
No. Archive Viewer runs entirely in your browser — there is nothing to download, no extension and no desktop program. It works the same on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iPhone.
Is it safe to use the Archive Viewer online?
Safer than the usual alternative, yes. Most online tools upload your file to a server you know nothing about, where it sits until someone deletes it. Here the file never leaves your device — the processing happens in the page itself, so there is no server copy to leak, retain or sell.
What is a checksum and why check one?
A checksum is a short code worked out from a file’s contents. If your copy gives the same code as the one the publisher lists, the file arrived complete and unchanged.
Is there a size limit in Archive Viewer?
It depends on your device rather than on the site. Everything is processed in memory in the browser, so a computer handles bigger archives and folders than a phone does.
Is Archive Viewer free to use at work?
Yes. It is free for personal and work use with no account. Because files stay on the machine, it also fits workplaces that do not allow uploading documents to outside sites.
Further reading
- List of file signatures (Wikipedia) The first few bytes that reveal a file’s real type, whatever its name says.
- ZIP file format (Wikipedia) How the ZIP format packs and compresses many files into one.
- RFC 1952: GZIP file format (IETF) The GZIP file format standard, published by the IETF.
More Files & Archives
Other free tools for the same kind of job.
- 7z Viewer List what is inside a 7z archive and extract it, in your browser. Open tool
- Bulk File Renamer Rename many files at once with find, replace, prefixes and numbering. Open tool
- Checksum Verifier Check a download against the checksum the publisher listed. Open tool
- Compress Files to ZIP Pack a folder of files into one ZIP, in your browser. Open tool
- Compress Text File Compress a .txt, .log, .csv or .json to GZIP, ZIP or raw deflate. Open tool
- Duplicate File Finder Find byte-identical files in a folder and see how much space they waste. Open tool
- File Extension Finder Look up what an extension means, what opens it, and whether it is risky. Open tool
- File Hash Generator Work out the MD5, SHA-1 and SHA-256 of a file without uploading it. Open tool
- File Metadata Viewer See a file’s real type, size, dates and what the browser thinks it is. Open tool