7-zip is an open-source file archiver. It is most commonly used to open compressed or zipped files. Some 7zip users are getting the error ‘Cannot open files as archive’ when trying to open the zip file by double-clicking on it. This might be due to a corrupted file or incomplete file, sometimes internet issues might lead to downloading the file incompletely. There might be various other reasons for this issue as well. In this article let us see the possible solutions to solve the error on Windows 10 machines.
If you have downloaded and saved the zip file from any source, try to refresh the source and download it again. Save it in some other different location. Sometimes if the file is not downloaded completely or if it is not downloaded correctly there occurs an error. Now try opening the file and see if the issue is solved.
Method 1: Repair The ZIP File Using WinRAR
WinRAR is a file archiver utility for Windows. Let us see how to solve the issue using this tool.
Step 1: Open the web browser of your choice. Here I will use Chrome
Step 2: In the search bar type WinRAR and hit enter
Step 3: Go to the WinRAR website and download as per your windows configuration (32-bit or 64-bit) by clicking on the WinRAR button
Step 4: Once the download is completed, double-click on the .exe file (set up file) to install the WinRAR by following the onscreen instructions
Step 5: Double-click on the WinRAR file, if there is any pop-up window saying thank you for using WinRAR then close it
Step 6: In the opened window, at the top click on File
Step 7: From the appeared list, click on an open archive
Step 8: Navigate to the path where the zip file is present and then select the required zip file for which you are facing the issue then click on open button
Step 9: Now at the top click on tools
Step 10: From the list click on Repair archive
Step 11: Select the option Treat the corrupt archive as ZIP by clicking on the radio button beside it
Step 12: Choose the path where you want to place the repaired file. To do so, click on browse button and navigate to the required path
Step 13: Once decided the location click on select folder
Step 14: Then click on ok. When you see the message done, click on close
Step 15: Close all the windows, then navigate to the location where you had decide to place the repaired file
Step 16: The repaired file will be present and its name would be prefixed by rebuilt. That means the file would have been repaired and the issue will be solved.
Method 2: Use The Command Prompt To Repair The File
Step 1: Open the command prompt as an administrator. To do this type cmd in the windows search bar, hold Ctrl + Shift keys together and hit enter
Step 2: A user account control window will open. Click on yes
Step 3: Copy the below command and paste it in the command prompt then hit enter. Once this command is executed, that particular file will be repaired. This command is used to repair if there are any incorrect headers in the file
Note: Replace the file.zip with the name of your zip file. Also replace the folder path where WinZip is installed if different than below
“C:\Program Files\WinZip\wzzip” –yf file.zip
Method 3: Change The Default Program For .zip From 7zG To 7zFM.exe
Step 1: Go to the website and download DefaultProgramEditor software. Once downloaded open its .exe file by double clicking on it
Step 2: In the Default Programs Editor, click on the File Type Settings
Step 3: On the left click on context menu
Step 4: Under file extension column search for .zip or .7z and select it by clicking on it. Then click on next button. If you have any other extension for your file, select that
Step 5: Click on open and click on the edit selected command button
Step 6: In the program path, browse the path where 7 zip file is placed then move towards its end and change it to 7zFM.exe then click on next
Step 7: Once the settings are done, click on the save context menu. Now on when you double click to open the .7z file it will use 7zFM.exe
Method 4: Use A Different Application To Open the File
If none of the above solutions work, then try to use other apps to open the archive file. Here let us take an example of WinRAR to open the archive file
Step 1: Go to the WinRAR website and download it by clicking on the download WinRAR button
Step 2: Once the download is completed, double-click on the .exe file (set up file) to install the WinRAR by following the onscreen instructions
Step 3: Go to the zip file that you want to open, right click on it and select open with WinRAR and extract the files.
That’s it! I hope the above information is helpful. Let us know which method worked for you. Thank You!