Set double-click a ZIP archive file to automatically extract/unzip it in Windows 10
If you are for example a long time user of a Mac, then you have probably got used extracting/unzipping ZIP-files (or RAR-files or other archive packages files) by just double-clicking the file. But in Windows, if you double-click an ZIP file, you will open an extract dialog window, where you have to confirm where you want to extract the ZIP archive. Or you can right click the ZIP file and choose the option “Extract Here” to extract it. But after using a Mac for many years, the double-clicking habbit has become basically a muscle memory for me unfortunately. In this article I will show quickly how to change this default behaviour of Windows with 7-Zip and some register changes.
First we will install 7-Zip (https://www.7-zip.org/) and we will open the 7-Zip File Manager as an administrator. Then go to “Tools” -> “Options” and choose the file types that you want to 7-Zip to extract. For example I associated ZIP and RAR, as I mostly work with them. For both these file types, I associated both my user account and all accounts
.
Next we will run RegEdit run as an administrator. Locate the following key:
Then there should be a “shell” subfolder under the 7-Zip.zip. When you click the subfolder, you should see on the right side panel the key “(default)”. Double-click the “(default)”. And in the new dialog window write:
Next right click the “shell”-folder on the left side panel and create a new key. Give this name “extract”. And then select the new “extract” folder. And then double-click “(default)”. In the dialog window write “Extract to Folder”.
Finally select the “extract” folder on the left side panel. Then right click it and create a folder named “command”.Select the “command” folder. Then right click the “(default)”. And in that dialog window write:
If your 7-Zip installation isn’t in the default path, then replace the path with your own.
If you assiociated other file formats than ZIPs at the beginning in 7-Zip File Manager, then you need to repeat the the register change for them also. You will find them in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/7-Zip.archivetype. So for example in my case I also chose RAR-files, so I will need to make changes also to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/7-Zip.rar