How to open archives on Android
A complete guide to extracting and creating ZIP, RAR, 7z, TAR and other archive formats on Android.
Overview
Stock Android does not include an archive manager. To open a RAR or 7z file emailed from a desktop you need a third-party app. The two most popular choices are ZArchiver and the official RAR for Android.
What Android handles out of the box
- Files by Google extracts ZIP attachments
- Some OEM file managers handle ZIP
Recommended archivers for Android
- ZArchiver — free, supports almost every format including 7z, RAR, TAR.XZ
- RAR for Android — official RAR support
- MiXplorer — power-user file manager with archive support
How to extract any archive
- Open ZArchiver (or your archiver of choice)
- Browse to the .zip / .rar / .7z file
- Tap the file → Extract here / Extract to...
- Pick a destination folder and confirm
How to create an archive
- In ZArchiver, navigate to the folder containing the files
- Long-press the files to select them
- Tap the menu → Compress
- Pick format (7z, ZIP), compression level, and optional password
Pro tips
Android 11+ scoped storage limits where archivers can write. Use the in-app file picker rather than typing paths.
Avoid downloading "miracle compressor" apps from outside Google Play — many are adware or worse.
For very large archives, use a USB cable and unpack on a desktop instead — phones throttle CPU under sustained load.
Common formats on Android
The formats most people encounter on Android:
- ZIP
- RAR
- 7z
- TAR.GZ (tarball)
- TAR.XZ
- GZIP
- XZ
- DMG (Apple Disk Image)
- ISO (ISO 9660 image)
- CAB (Cabinet)
- APK (Android package)
- IPA (iOS App)