BetterZip overview

BetterZip lets you quickly inspect archives without first extracting their contents.

Extract Only Files You Really Need: If you only need a few files or folders from a larger archive, you don't have to extract the whole thing. Simply drag the files you need from the BetterZip window to any Finder window or the desktop.
Open Archives Without Extracting: Not only can BetterZip open archives without first extracting them but you can also search for a file using the iTunes-like interface. BetterZip can open and extract archives with the most common formats: ZIP, SIT, TAR, XAR, XZ, GZip, BZip2, RAR, 7-Zip, CPIO, ARJ, LZH/LHA, JAR, WAR, CAB, ISO, CHM, RPM, DEB, NSIS, BIN, HQX, DMG, EPUB, and Winmail.dat.
Create Archives: Simply drag files and folders from your hard drives, disks, or network places into your new zip file. You no longer have to copy all the files into a temporary folder first. The supported formats are ZIP, TAR, GZip and BZip2 compressed TAR, XAR, 7-ZIP, and RAR (using the external RAR commandline tool). Large archives can also be split.
Protect Your Data: BetterZip can protect your data with a password and create AES-256 encrypted archives. 7-zip and rar archives can also be protected.
Update Archives: Add new or updated files to existing archives. Remove any file or folder from an archive, or even move files around inside the archive as if it were a normal folder.
Make Archives Compatible: Strip Mac-specific files and resource forks from archives for best compatibility with systems like Windows or Linux.

What's new in version 6.0.5

New Features

Added an option to trim spaces from the front and end of filenames when saving or extracting.

Enhancements

I further reduced memory and CPU usage for Favorites with a very large number of archives and added a limit for the full indexer.
Additionally, you can now set per Favorite whether it should be fully indexed, listed one folder at a time when you open it, just be a drop target.
Added more options to filtering: You can now do inverse filtering.
When closing the window while a huge add operation is still running in the background, BetterZip will now ask whether to cancel the operation, instead of just closing the window. I added similar safety warnings to various other exit points.

Bug Fixes

When moving an archive after extraction, the favorites sidebar was not automatically updated.
Fixed some localization strings on Settings > Advanced which I inverted in v6, and then forgot to update the translations, like the option "Enable the single-click action".
Added a few more missing localized strings.
Icon\r files couldn't be extracted from zip and 7z archives.
Encrypting rar archives without header encryption didn't work correctly.
If the images were advanced too quickly in Slide Show mode, BetterZip could hang, making it unresponsive and hard to quit.
Size and date filters did not work correctly when used in a queued operation.

View older BetterZip versions

4.2

(113 Reviews of BetterZip)

Comments
User Ratings

Beamy

Jul 28, 2026

6.0.2

0.0

Version: 6.0.2

Very good ! I like it a lot !

Naoh

This is annoying. The developer's page claims there is a discount for existing owners of previous versions to get a discount for this latest version, but when I go to the ordering page there is no way to specify it as an upgrade. The only option is to order at full price. Instructions would be handy.

JamesHarrisPhoto

Jan 7, 2025

5.3.4

Version: 5.3.4

Has this been abandoned? There hasn't been an update since April 12, 2023.

Funjoy

Jun 24, 2021

5.1.1

Version: 5.1.1

Regularly updated and works well. I'm a huge fan of the built-in Quick Look Generator so you can view the contents of a zip archive in the Finder without opening it. (I tried to write a review but the page wouldn't save/complete.) I'd give it 4.5 stars.