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How to unzip files on iPhone or iPad

You don't need to install anything — iOS and iPadOS can open a .zip on their own. Here's the exact process, and a fallback for when it misbehaves.

The quick version

Since iOS 13, the built-in Files app can extract archives without any third-party app. Tap the .zip, and iOS creates a folder next to it with the contents inside.

Step by step, using the Files app

Save the .zip to your device first. If it arrived by email, tap it and choose Save to Files; from Safari, tap the download and then the downloads icon.
Open the Files app and browse to where you saved it (usually On My iPhone or Downloads).
Tap the .zip file once. iOS extracts it and places a new folder with the same name right beside the archive.
Open that folder to see the individual files. Tap any file to preview it, or tap Share to send it on.

How to zip files on iPhone too

The Files app works in reverse as well. Tap Select, choose the files you want to bundle, tap the ••• (More) button, and pick Compress. iOS creates an Archive.zip you can rename and share.

When the Files app won't cooperate

A few common snags — and what usually fixes them:

Tapping the .zip just previews it instead of extracting. Make sure you've saved it into Files first; iOS won't extract an archive that's still sitting inside Mail or a Messages thread.
The archive is password-protected. The built-in extractor can't open encrypted archives, and neither can most simple tools.
You're on a shared or managed device where the Files app is restricted.

If you hit one of these, a browser-based extractor is the easiest fallback because it runs entirely in Safari. You can unzip your archive right here on Zip On Mars — open the page, switch to the Unzip an archive tab, pick your .zip, and download each file individually. Nothing to install, and files are auto-deleted shortly after processing.

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Last updated: August 2026