Open archives like folders

Look inside ZIP and TAR archives in a pane, and copy files out of them, without extracting them first.

Open an archive in a pane and work with its contents like a folder. You can view files and copy the ones you need to the other pane.

The Archive Properties sheet for Photos 2026.zip: format, entries, sizes and file count.

Open an archive#

  1. Put the cursor on the archive.
  2. Press Return.

The pane shows the files and folders inside the archive. Open folders, view files and select them as usual.

If the archive is protected by a password, MeiFiles asks for it. See Use passwords and archive properties.

Copy files out of an archive#

  1. Open the archive in one pane.
  2. Open the destination folder in the other pane.
  3. Select the files, then press F5.

Leave the archive#

Press ⌘[, or choose Go > Back. The pane returns to the folder that holds the archive.

Note: MeiFiles unpacks the archive to a temporary folder to show it. Changes you make there do not change the archive.

Open an archive inside an archive#

When an archive contains another archive, put the cursor on the inner archive and press Return. It opens the same way.

Supported formats#

FormatFile name extensions
ZIP.zip, .jar, .ipa
TAR.tar, .tgz, .tar.gz, .tar.bz2, .tar.xz

The Mac App Store version cannot open 7z archives.

See also#

Search MeiFiles guide

Search the user guide.