Can you open zip files on Android?

Last reviewed: October 7, 2026 · Markdown version

Yes. Google's own file manager opens a .zip, shows what is inside, and unpacks it with one button. The catch is in its help page's first line of small print: the format has to be .zip. Samsung's help documents the opposite direction, making a zip in My Files. Here is what each vendor actually writes, plus the reason Chrome sometimes hesitates over an archive before you ever get to open it.

Unzipping in Files by Google

Google's steps: "Navigate to the folder that contains a .zip file you want to unzip", then "Select the .zip file". "A pop up appears showing the content of that file" — so you can look before you commit — and you tap Extract. Next, "You’re shown a preview of the extracted files", with a "Delete ZIP file" checkbox if you no longer want the archive, and Done. Google spells out where the result lands: "The extracted files are saved in the same folders as the original .zip file." It also names the one error it expects: with full storage "you may receive an error message when files are getting extracted" (Unzip your files, Files by Google Help, read 7 October 2026).

A zip you fetched in a browser therefore unpacks into Download, next to everything else you downloaded. Ticking the delete box is worth a second's thought: once the contents are out, the archive is a duplicate of them, but it is also the only copy that keeps them together in one file.

.rar and .7z: not on Google's list

The same page is blunt: "Important: Only .zip files are supported." It does not suggest what to use for other archive formats; on that it is silent (the Unzip your files page above). In practice that means a separate app from the Play Store. Our advice is to pick one that asks only to open the file you hand it, rather than one that wants access to everything on the phone just to read a single archive.

Samsung My Files: documented for making zips

Samsung India's support article walks through creating one: select files, "Select Compress option", "Name the Compress file name then tap on Compress", and "Once compressed you will be able to view the .zip file within the folder" (How to compress files in 'My Files' app on Galaxy devices?, Samsung India, read 7 October 2026; the page shows "Last Update date : Sep 12. 2024"). That article does not cover opening or extracting a zip, and Samsung's general My Files guide, which lists the app's categories as "Images, Videos, Audio files, Documents, Downloads, or Installation files", does not mention archives at all (Manage files on your Galaxy phone or tablet, Samsung US, read 7 October 2026). We found no Samsung support page on extracting. On a Galaxy, Google's app is the documented route, and Google says it "works on Android version 8.0 and up" (How to use Files by Google, read 7 October 2026).

Making a zip with Google's app

Going the other way, Google's compress feature needs "Android 8 version or up", and its output is fixed: "Files will be compressed to zip format." Select the files or folders, tap More, then Compress, and name the result — with one rule that catches people out: "Make sure your zip file name doesn’t include spaces or periods" (Compress your files, Files by Google Help, read 7 October 2026).

Why Chrome may warn before the zip is even saved

Archives get extra scrutiny. Among the reasons Chrome gives for marking a download suspicious is "A file that may try to evade detection, such as by hiding malware or viruses inside archive files like .zip or .rar. A password may also be added to avoid detection." With Enhanced protection on, Chrome can send a password-protected archive and its password to Safe Browsing to be scanned, and says they "are deleted from Safe Browsing a short time after they're scanned" (Google Chrome blocks some downloads, Android, read 7 October 2026). A warning on a zip from a site you do not know is a reason to stop, not a hurdle to click past.

Adinand Auto File Sorter and archives

It files archives; it does not open them. A .zip, .rar or .7z sitting directly in a watched folder (Download, unless you add others) is moved into an Archives folder under Downloads › Sorted Files, or under the folder you picked instead on Android 11 and newer. One side effect follows from Google's rule above: if you extract a zip after it has been filed, the unpacked files appear inside Archives, and the app does not re-sort its own output folder — move them where you want them yourself.