Unzip command windows command line

@echo off
setlocal
cd /d %~dp0
Call :UnZipFile "C:\Temp\" "c:\FolderName\batch.zip"
exit /b

:UnZipFile <ExtractTo> <newzipfile>
set vbs="%temp%\_.vbs"
if exist %vbs% del /f /q %vbs%
>%vbs%  echo Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
>>%vbs% echo If NOT fso.FolderExists(%1) Then
>>%vbs% echo fso.CreateFolder(%1)
>>%vbs% echo End If
>>%vbs% echo set objShell = CreateObject("Shell.Application")
>>%vbs% echo set FilesInZip=objShell.NameSpace(%2).items
>>%vbs% echo objShell.NameSpace(%1).CopyHere(FilesInZip)
>>%vbs% echo Set fso = Nothing
>>%vbs% echo Set objShell = Nothing
cscript //nologo %vbs%
if exist %vbs% del /f /q %vbs%

1

Expand-Archive -Force C:\path\to\archive.zip C:\where\to\extract\to

2

powershell -command "Expand-Archive -Force '%~dp0my_zip_file.zip' '%~dp0'"

3

gci -Recurse -Filter *.zip |ForEach-Object {Expand-Archive -Path $_.Fullname -DestinationPath $_.BaseName -Force}

2

@echo off
setlocal
cd /d %~dp0
Call :UnZipFile "C:\Temp\" "c:\FolderName\batch.zip"
exit /b

:UnZipFile <ExtractTo> <newzipfile>
set vbs="%temp%\_.vbs"
if exist %vbs% del /f /q %vbs%
>%vbs%  echo Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
>>%vbs% echo If NOT fso.FolderExists(%1) Then
>>%vbs% echo fso.CreateFolder(%1)
>>%vbs% echo End If
>>%vbs% echo set objShell = CreateObject("Shell.Application")
>>%vbs% echo set FilesInZip=objShell.NameSpace(%2).items
>>%vbs% echo objShell.NameSpace(%1).CopyHere(FilesInZip)
>>%vbs% echo Set fso = Nothing
>>%vbs% echo Set objShell = Nothing
cscript //nologo %vbs%
if exist %vbs% del /f /q %vbs%

1

Expand-Archive -Force C:\path\to\archive.zip C:\where\to\extract\to

2

powershell -command "Expand-Archive -Force '%~dp0my_zip_file.zip' '%~dp0'"

3

gci -Recurse -Filter *.zip |ForEach-Object {Expand-Archive -Path $_.Fullname -DestinationPath $_.BaseName -Force}

2

Contents

• 1 How to Zip a Single File or Folder in Windows using ‘Send To’
• 2 How to Zip Multiple Files and Folders with ‘Send To’
• 3 How to Add Folders or Files to an Existing ZIP File
• 4 How to Make a ZIP File Out of Multiple Files or Folders with File Explorer’s Ribbon Bar
• 5 How to Zip or Unzip via the Command Line in Windows
• 6 How to Extract All Files and Folders from a Zip File
• 7 How to Extract a Single File from a Zip File

Over the years, Microsoft has made it easier and easier to zip files. The easiest is through File Explorer’s Send To menu, which is perfect for quickly compressing a single file or folder.

1. create a zip file in File Explorer
   

   Right-click the file or folder you’d like to zip, then move your cursor down the menu and click “Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder”.

   

2. Name your zipped file or folder
   
   Windows will automatically create a zip file and place your cursor in its name box. Type an appropriate name or keep the pre-populated one and press Enter.

   

The above method can also be used to create a zip file out of more than one file or folder. All you need to do is select more than one in your File Explorer window.

1. How to create a zip file out of multiple files or folders
   

   To select multiple files, click on your first file, then Ctrl + click to select the others you’d like to compress. If you a long list of files that all need to be compressed, you can select the file at the top and then Shift + click the one at the bottom to select all of them.

   You can then right-click any of the files or folders and choose “Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder”.

   

2. Name your zip file
   

   Windows 10 will show you a zip file and ask you to choose an appropriate name. Do so, then press Enter.

   

So, you finished creating your zip file, only to realize you missed a file or folder. Not to worry – Windows 10 makes this easy to solve, too.

1. Drag your files or folders to your existing zip folder

   

2. Wait for the ‘+ Copy’ tooltip and release your mouse button

   

If you don’t like fiddling around with the right-click menu, File Explorer also provides options via its ever-useful ribbon bar.

1. Select your files or folders and press ‘Zip’
   

   You can select multiple files with Ctrl + click or Shift + click. The former will let you select each individually, while the latter will select everything between two selected files.

   Once everything you want to click is highlighted in blue, select the “Share” button at the top of the ribbon, then click “Zip”.

   

2. Name your newly zipped files or folders
   

   You can keep the default name or type one of your own. Once you’re done, click away or press “Enter”.

   

In case you prefer the command line, we’ll quickly show you how to unzip files or zip them again with PowerShell. This is generally a bit more fiddly, but it can be powerful if you’re trying to automate.

1. Open PowerShell as an Admin
   

   Press Start + X to open the secret Start menu, then click “Windows PowerShell (Admin)”.

   

2. Enter the zip command in Windows PowerShell
   

   To zip files or folders, run the following command, replacing the <Path to> text (including the greater and lesser than symbols) with the location of your file or folder and where you want to save it:

   Compress-Archive -LiteralPath <PathToFiles> -DestinationPath <PathToDestination>

   For example, for a single file, you could type:

   Compress-Archive -Path C:\Users\winbu\Music\Benny Goodman Swings Again\airmail.mp3 -DestinationPath C:\Users\winbu\Music\favorite music.zip

   If you wanted to compress the entire folder, you could instead type:

   Compress-Archive -Path C:\Users\winbu\Music\Benny Goodman Swings Again\ -DestinationPath C:\Users\winbu\Music\favorite music.zip

   Alternatively, to compress all the files in a folder but not the folder itself, you can use a wildcard (*) to exclude the parent folder. This method won’t include the subdirectories and files of the root folder:

   Compress-Archive -Path C:\Users\winbu\Music\Benny Goodman Swings Again\* -DestinationPath C:\Users\winbu\Music\favorite music.zip

   If you want to compress only a folder’s root files and subdirectories, you can use the *.* wildcard:

   Compress-Archive -Path C:\Users\winbu\Music\Benny Goodman Swings Again\*.* -DestinationPath C:\Users\winbu\Music\favorite music.zip

   Finally, if you have a folder with files or various formats, but only want to zip one type, you can do so with the *.filetype wildcard. In our example, we may want to zip mp3 files, but not their .jpg album art:

   Compress-Archive -Path C:\Users\winbu\Music\Benny Goodman Swings Again\*.mp3 -DestinationPath C:\Users\winbu\Music\favorite music.zip

   

3. Enter the unzip command in Windows PowerShell
   

   If you’re wondering how to unzip files with PowerShell, try the following command:

   Expand-Archive -LiteralPath <PathToZipFile> -DestinationPath <PathToDestination>

   Naturally, replace <PathToZipFile> with the path to your zip, and <PathToDestination> with where you want it to be unzipped to. If you don’t specify a destination path, it will unzip to the same folder the zip is stored in.

   

If you received a ZIP file or are wondering how to unzip a file you previously compressed, File Explorer should be your go-to. We can use that handy right-click menu again to reverse the process.

1. Right-click the ZIP file and select ‘Extract All…’

   
2. Choose where to extract the zip to
   

   Windows will surface a window called “Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders”. Under the “Select a Destination and Extract Files” heading, choose “Browse…”. Navigate to the location you’d like to extract to in the File Explorer menu, click “Open”, and then back in the main extraction window press “Extract”.

    Depending on the size of the archive, the extraction process may take some time.

   

Sometimes you don’t want to wait for an entire archive to extract when you only require a single file. In such cases, it is possible to unzip a single file. First, double-click the .zip file to open it, then follow the step below.

1. Drag the file out of the .zip archive
   

   It’s really that simple. Just make sure you’re dragging the file to either your desktop or another File Explorer window with your destination folder.

   

   That closes out this guide, which should have taught you everything you need to know about zip files in Windows 10. However, if you have a penchant for learning, you can also try our batch renaming and folder options guides.