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Zip folders really come in handy when you are trying to handle large files.
They help you save a lot of time and also make it easier to send and receive large files.
However, they often get corrupted, making it impossible for you to access the data inside them, which is very unfortunate if you have some important data/files there.
So how do you repair/recover a corrupted zip archive in Windows? Well, there are a couple of ways to do so. In this troubleshooting guide, we have put together the easiest and most effective ways to repair corrupted zip files.
So read on and enjoy!
TL;DR: How to Repair Corrupted Zip Archives NOW
- Redownload the archive.
- Use WinRAR to automatically repair the corrupted zip archive.
- Use an online zip recovery tool.
For detailed instructions on how to apply these and even more fixes step-by-step, read on.
How to Repair a Corrupted ZIP Archive in Windows?
[3 Beginner-Friendly Ways]
There are many reasons why a zip archive may become corrupted, such as incomplete download, power failure, software issues, or malware.
Those and other issues can cause other archive trouble like 7-zip data error and more.
Here are some quick and easy fixes for a corrupted ZIP archive:
Method 1: Redownload the Archive
An incomplete download can cause the download zip archive to get corrupted. If your download was incomplete, try redownloading the archive file from the online source again. Make sure the download is complete and then extract the file to see if it opens.
Method 2: Use WinRAR’s “Repair Archive Option
WinRAR is a common software used for opening and managing zip files. However, not many users know that it can also repair corrupted zip files.
Here’s how:
- Download and install “WinRAR” on your PC.
- Right-click on the corrupted zip archive and open it with “WinRAR”.
- Go to the “Tools” tab and select “Repair archive”.
- Now pick a location to save the repaired archive file.
- Hit “OK”.
- Wait until “WinRAR” repairs the archive. Check if the zip archive has been repaired.
Method 3: Rename the ZIP File
You can also try renaming the corrupt archive file by changing its extension from “.zip” to “.rar”. Once done, open it in WinRAR and use the repair feature in the software to automatically repair it.
How to Repair or Recover a Corrupted ZIP Archive?
[2 Advanced Ways]
If you are unable to repair the corrupted zip archive even after applying the above-mentioned fixes, try these more advanced ways:
Method 4: Use the WinZip Command Utility
WinZip is an archive extractor for Windows that also allows you to repair corrupted zip files. To use this tool to repair corrupted zip archives, you will need to download WinZip and its Command Line utility.
Follow these steps:
- Download and install “WinZip”.
- Download and install the “WinZip Command Line utility”.
- Now right-click on the corrupted zip archive and select “Copy As Path”.
- On your keyboard, press ‘Win + S’.
- Now type “cmd“ and press ‘Enter‘.
- In the resulting “Command Prompt” window, enter “cd” and then paste the file path you copied earlier.
- Hit ‘Enter’.
- Next, type and ‘Enter’ the following command while replacing “zipfile” with the name of the corrupted zip archive: “C:\Program Files\WinZip\wzzip” -yf zipfile.zip
- Hit any key on your keyboard to continue.
Your zip archive will be repaired and saved in the same location as the corrupted archive. Check if it is opening now.
Method 5: Use an Online Third-Party Tool
There are many file recovery tools online that allow you to repair corrupted files and retrieve lost data. You can use these tools to automatically fix corrupted archives.
“ONERECOVERY” is one such tool that allows you to repair corrupted zip archives. Here’s how:
- Now select the file repair tool and upload your corrupted zip archive.
- Wait for the online tool to identify the problem and automatically repair it.
Once done, you will have a repaired zip archive file to extract data from.
And if it’s still not recovered, we advise download all in one Windows fix software FREE Advanced SystemCare app, it will resolve your PCs underlying problems and possibly make the zip archive work again as usual.
Useful: If you had your Windows activation key in a ZIP which is corrupted, learn how to recover your Windows licence key here.
Good luck!
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