How to use the zip file editor
- Choose a ZIP file, up to 25 MB. The page lists every entry with its size.
- Tick Remove next to entries to take out. Ticking a folder entry removes everything inside it.
- Change a name to rename an entry or move it into a folder with a slash, and add files with the Add files area, naming each one.
- Download the edited ZIP. The page reports how many entries were kept, removed, renamed and added.
Formula
Entries you keep are copied byte for byte, with their original compression, checksum (CRC-32) and modified time
Renaming changes only the name stored in the archive
Added files are compressed with deflate, and stored as they are if that is smaller
A new directory at the end of the archive lists the entries, and it replaces the old one
No file you keep is unpacked or compressed again, so the archive is edited quickly and without any loss.
Remove one file, rename one and add one
An archive holds readme.txt, docs/a.txt and docs/b.txt. Remove docs/b.txt, rename readme.txt to README.md and add a file named new/c.txt. The new archive lists README.md, docs/a.txt and new/c.txt. The entries README.md and docs/a.txt have the same size, checksum, compression method and modified time as before, and the compressed bytes are identical.
Renaming a folder entry such as img/ to pictures/ renames everything inside it. Renaming a file to the name of another gives the message that two entries would be named the same. Removing every entry gives a valid, empty ZIP file.
Editing without unpacking
The usual way to change a ZIP file is to unpack it, change the files and zip it again, which changes the compression of everything and can lose the original dates. Editing the archive in place keeps what you did not touch exactly as it was. It is also faster for large archives, and it means a file you are not changing is never read or decoded.
To unpack files from an archive, use the unzip extractor. To make a new archive from files and folders, use the ZIP file creator. To open tar and gzip files, see the tar and gzip extractor.
Limits and safety
Names are checked, and a name with .. in it, a leading slash or control characters is refused so the archive cannot unpack outside its folder. The page edits archives of up to 5,000 entries, and it does not support the ZIP64 format for very large archives. Entries protected by a password are kept as they are but cannot be read here, and they are marked in the list.
To check what kind of file an entry really is, use the file type identifier. Nothing is uploaded, and your original archive is not changed.
Assumptions and limits
- The file is a standard ZIP archive of up to 25 MB with at most 5,000 entries.
- ZIP64 archives are not supported. Password protected entries are copied without change.
- Names use / between folders and cannot contain .. or control characters.
- Added files are limited to 25 MB each and 100 MB in total.
Frequently asked questions
How do I remove a file from a ZIP without unpacking it?
Choose the archive, tick Remove next to the file and download the edited ZIP. The other files are copied without being changed.
Can I rename a file inside a ZIP?
Yes. Change its name in the list. Use a slash to put it inside a folder.
Does it recompress the files I keep?
No. They are copied byte for byte, so their checksums and dates stay the same.
Is the original ZIP changed?
No. You download a new archive, and the original stays as it was.