Guides

How to open 7z files on Windows and Mac

7z compresses better than ZIP, but not every system opens it. Here’s what works on each one.

Windows

On an up-to-date Windows 11, File Explorer opens 7z on its own: double-click the file or choose “Extract All”. Windows 10 and older builds of Windows 11 can’t — you need an archiver.

macOS

Archive Utility doesn’t support 7z. Your options:

• Open the file in Peak Zip and extract it.
• Or in Terminal with Homebrew: brew install unar, then unar archive.7z.

If a 7z file won’t open

• It asks for a password. The archive is encrypted — it can’t be opened without the password.
• Files end in .7z.001, .7z.002. These are parts of one archive: put them in one folder and open the first.
• Data error. The file may have been damaged during download — download it again.

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