5 Ways to Perform Zip File Recovery in Windows

Can Zip files be recovered?

Zip is a file format that allows for lossless data compression. A Zip archive may contain one or more compressed files or directories. Thus, Zipped (compressed) files consume less storage and transfer faster to other computers than uncompressed files.

As you can see, Zip files are essential to our work. But have you ever failed to open Zip files like the above user? Or are your Zips invisible to you? At this point, how to recover Zip files?

How to perform Zip file recovery?

Your removed file paths cannot permanently delete the corresponding Zip files for computers. Nevertheless, these deleted or missing Zip files could be overwritten by newly added data. If possible, you’d better not write any new file to the same computer after data loss.

Solution 1. Show hidden Zip files via File Explorer

How to recover Zip files? Sometimes, your Zip files are not deleted from your PC. They are invisible to you because of specific settings. At the moment, use File Explorer to show hidden files, folders, and drives.  

Step 1. Press “Win + E” to open Windows File Explorer. Under the View tab, click the “Options” button.

Step 2. In the Folder Options window, click View > Show hidden files, folders, and drives >Apply. Please click “OK” to close the window.

If Windows 10/11 cannot work to show hidden files, your Zip files might be damaged or deleted. Please continue reading to get related fixes.

Solution 2. Fix corrupted Zip files via WinRAR

If you cannot open your compressed files, it is likely that your folder is likely corrupted. Besides, when you receive an error message saying your Zip files are invalid, you will be prompted to fix corrupted Zip files.

Plenty of practical Windows features like WinRAR are underutilized. Please download and install WinRAR on your Windows PC, then you’re ready to follow the steps below.

Step 1. After installation, right-click on your corrupted Zip folder and click Open with WinRAR. Under the Tools tab, click the “Repair archive” button.

Step 2. Locate a path and select an archive type you want. Then click the “OK” button.

Step 3. After the repair process, click the “Close” button. You can go to the path you’ve specified to find the fixed Zip folder. (The new filename refers to the rebuilt corrupted Zip file name.)

Solution 3. Fix corrupted Zip files using CMD

There’s another method for you to fix corrupted Zip files if you’re familiar with CMD. Let’s show how it works.

Step 1. Type “cmd” in the search bar and click “Run as administrator” to open the command prompt window.

Step 2. Type “C: \Program Files \WinZip \wzzip” -yf zipfile.zip in the window and hit “Enter” or press “OK” to go on. Please replace “zipfile.zip” with your real Zip file name.

Please wait patiently. After that, try to open your Zip files.

Solution 4. Recover deleted Zip files using Previous Versions

If your desired Zip files are not hidden or damaged, they might be deleted. In this case, are you wondering how to recover deleted Zip files free? After turning on File History or System Protection of the partition that includes your desired Zip folder, you can recover deleted Zip files using Previous Versions.   

As the name suggests, previous versions can offer you several older Zip folder versions according to the timeline. For instance, you can use it to recover overwritten Excel files.  

Step 1. Press “Win + E” to open Windows File Explorer.

Step 2. Find the folder that includes your Zip files. Then right-click on it and click the “Properties” button.

Step 3. Browse and select the Zip folder version based on your needs. Then “Restore” it to your chosen saved path.

Solution 5. Recover deleted Zip files using data recovery software

If you haven’t cultivated a good habit of creating backups using Windows features, you will be forced to seek the assistance of professional data recovery tools like MyRecover.

Designed to file recovery, this data recovery software has earned a good reputation due to the following powerful features and friendly design.  

★Tips:   

Recover the deleted/lost Word, Excel, PPT, PDF, photos, videos, audio, folders, and other 200+ types of data from HDD, USB, SD cards, and other portable devices.

Retain the recovered files based on their original paths, filenames, and format.   

During Quick Scan and Deep Scan, enter filenames in the search bar to locate your desired files or wait to find all the deleted and other lost files on your computers.

Support NTFS, exFAT, FAT32, and ReFS file systems.

Download MyRecover on your Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, or Windows Server computers to perform Zip file recovery.

Step 1. Run MyRecover on your PC. Hover the mouse over the drive saved deleted files before, and click Scan.

Step 2. Quickly locate your needed folders by Name, Date, Type, Size, or Path. You can also wait to view all the deleted and other missing files after Quick Scan and Deep Scan.

Step 3. Go to the Deleted Files/Other Missing Files folder, and click “Recover x files” to get your selected folders back. After recovery, please save them in a new location.

Relevant Q&A about folders

How to perform Zip recovery? Please read the above part to recover hidden, corrupted, or deleted zip files based on your needs. You can also get an overview of the following tips about folders.