What is a .zip file?
A .zip file is a zip archive. Its registered MIME type is application/x-zip-compressed, which places it in the application or document family of formats.
ZIP is a binary format: the contents are not readable text, so opening it in a text editor shows scrambled characters.
Files of this type usually begin with the bytes 50 4B 03 04. That signature is how programs recognise the format even when the extension is wrong or missing.
The same format is also saved with the extension .zipx.
ZIP file format details
| Extension | .zip |
|---|---|
| Format | Zip archive |
| MIME type | application/x-zip-compressed, application/zip, application/x-zip |
| Category | Application or document |
| Text or binary | Binary |
| File signature | 50 4B 03 04 |
| Registered with IANA | No |
| Other extensions | .zipx |
How to open ZIP files
| Windows | Windows opens ZIP files itself. For other archive types, the free 7-Zip program opens most of them, ZIP included. |
|---|---|
| Mac | Archive Utility opens ZIP and several other formats with a double click. The free app The Unarchiver handles many more. |
| iPhone and iPad | The Files app can open ZIP archives. Other archive types need an app from the App Store. |
| Android | Files by Google opens ZIP archives. Other types need an archive app such as RAR or ZArchiver. |
Convert ZIP files
TapToConvert converts ZIP files in your browser, without uploading them. Open the ZIP converter, or go straight to a conversion:
ZIP file FAQ
What is a .zip file?
A .zip file is a zip archive, with the MIME type application/x-zip-compressed.
How do I open a .zip file?
7-Zip on Windows and The Unarchiver on Mac open most archive formats.
Is a .zip file safe to open?
ZIP files hold data rather than programs, but any file from an unknown source can be crafted to exploit the software that opens it. Keep that software up to date. The viewer on this page only reads the bytes and never runs anything.
What is the MIME type of .zip?
application/x-zip-compressed, and it is also seen as application/zip or application/x-zip. Web servers send this type so browsers know how to handle the file.
Is ZIP a text or binary format?
Binary. Its contents are not readable as text.
File type facts come from the IANA media type registry, the mime-db project and the freedesktop.org shared MIME database.