Zipgeist for Mac
Even very large archives open instantly. Browse, edit and extract their contents without leaving anything behind. No waiting. No clutter. Just your files.
OpenCompressEditPassword-protect
Free download · Requires macOS Tahoe 26 or later
Downloads
invoice.pdf
fonts
parade.jpg
log ride.jpg
postcard.psd
pier.jpg
Pixar Pier.jpg
motel.mov
Las Vegas
laptop.jpg
studio.jpg
mic check.jpg
desk.jpg
interview.mov
raw
4 items · 212 GB available
No clutter
Unzipping normally creates a full second copy of everything, right next to the original. Zipgeist doesn’t. Close the window, and there is nothing to clean up.
Expanding “Holiday.zip”
Holiday.zip
Holiday
Holiday.zip
Holiday
Ejected
Browse
Finder.Zipgeist mounts an archive as a disk, so it opens as a regular folder in Finder. There is no new app to learn: previews, thumbnails and drag and drop work as usual. Work with archives exactly as you work with any other file on your Mac.
Press Space to preview a file, and use the arrow keys to move through the rest.
Studio Lumen
lighting.jpg2.4 MB
invoice.pdf86 KB
set.mov48 MB
notes.txt1 KB
grade.psd12 MB
lighting.jpg
Invoice 2026-114Studio Lumen · October 2026Total € 1.250,00
To do
✓ Mark up the cover photo
✓ Send the invoice to Studio Lumen
See every photo before you open it.
Extract
Drag out a single file when that is all you need. To unpack everything, right-click and choose Extract All.
Compress
Right-click a folder and choose Compress As. Create a compact 7z archive, or a password-protected zip that only the intended recipients can open.
photos
photos.7z
EncryptedAES-256
Edit Pro
Mark up a photo, correct a document or add a file, directly inside a zip. Zipgeist saves each change back into the archive as you work.
Otis
Otis.jpg
To do.txt
IMG_0412.jpg
IMG_0413.jpg
IMG_2041.jpg
IMG_2043.jpg
To do.txt — Edited
To do
✓ Mark up the blanket photo
IMG_2041.jpg
IMG_2043.jpg
Otis.zip Saved
Photos, documents, spreadsheets: edit them in any app, and the change is saved in the zip.
No unzipping first and zipping again after. The zip is always up to date.
Drag files in, and delete what you no longer need.
Rename files and folders just as you would anywhere else.
linux-6.6.zip
Archive Utility0.0 s
Expanding “linux-6.6.zip”
Preparing…
Zipgeist0.0 s
Extracting “linux-6.6.zip”
Preparing…
Speed
Want to extract an archive instead of opening it? Zipgeist is faster than every other app we tested, in every format. Just need a look inside? It opens in Finder in under a second, with nothing extracted.
Dragging files out of an open archive copies them one by one. To get a whole folder or everything out, choose Extract: it’s the fastest way.
3.4×faster than Archive Utility at extracting
1.6×faster than the best alternatives we tested
0.4 son average to open an archive in Finder
Formats
Zip, RAR, 7z and TAR archives open as folders in an instant, with nothing extracted first. Password-protected archives included.
| Format | Opens as a folder | Password protection | Create | Edit inside Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZIPThe one everyone sends | ||||
| RARCommon for big downloads | * | * | * | |
| 7zThe smallest files | ||||
| TARBackups, and files from Linux | ||||
| Compressed TARtar.gz, tar.xz, tar.bz2, tar.zst, and .gz, .xz, .bz2, .zst on their own | ** |
AvailableComing soonNot possible with this format
More is on the way. New formats will be added soon, and more of them will become editable.
* Zipgeist opens RAR archives, including password-protected ones. RAR is a proprietary format, so other apps aren’t allowed to create or change RAR files out of the box. Zipgeist may support this later for people who have a RAR license.
** Compressed TAR files are read in full before they open, which is still much faster than extracting them with other apps.
Privacy
Zipgeist is designed to protect your files, and your Mac.
The only connections Zipgeist makes are update and license checks. No information about your files is ever sent.
No analytics, no account, and no data collected about you or your files.
The password of a protected archive is kept in memory only while you use it, never written to disk, and forgotten when you close the archive or quit Zipgeist.
Zipgeist runs in Apple’s App Sandbox and can only access the files you open with it.
Files extracted from a download keep their download marking, so macOS still checks apps before they run.
Zipgeist never opens or runs the contents of an archive. Files remain inside it until you extract them.
Free to download and use. Pay once for Pro, if you ever need it.
Opens zip, RAR, 7z and TAR as folders, extracts them, and creates password-protected archives.
Archive size
Up to 1 GBAny size the first 7 days
Any size
Any size
Change zips without unzipping
First 7 days
Updates included
Version 1
Version 1
Every version
Launch prices until October 31. One-time purchases, never a subscription. Every download includes Pro for 7 days.
Version 1.0 · 8 MB download
They are archive formats: they combine many files into a single, smaller file that is easier to send or download. Zipgeist opens all of them the same way, as a folder.
Download and open the installer. When it's done, Zipgeist opens by itself and shows you how to turn it on in System Settings, which takes about a minute. Zipgeist works in Finder as soon as that's done.
No. Zipgeist reads a file only when you open it. Nothing is copied to your Mac until you drag it out.
Zipgeist cleans up a few seconds later. Your archive stays where it was, and there is no extra folder to delete. While an archive is open, it appears in the Finder sidebar like a USB drive and can be ejected the same way.
Zip archives, with Zipgeist Pro. Open one with Zipgeist and make any changes; they are saved directly into the zip.
Yes. Zipgeist never runs anything, keeps files inside the archive until you extract them, and lets macOS check every app you extract.
Yes. Set Zipgeist as the default app for zip files, and every zip opens as a folder when you double-click it.
Everything except editing, for archives up to 1 GB: open them as folders, preview, extract, and create zip and 7z archives, with or without a password. Pro opens archives of any size and lets you change zips. Every new copy includes Pro for the first 7 days.
No. RAR is a proprietary format that only its developer’s software may create. Zipgeist opens RAR archives, and creates zip, 7z and TAR archives.
No. Zipgeist is free, and Pro and Forever are each a single payment, with nothing to renew.
Pro includes all 1.x updates. Forever also includes every future major version, such as 2.0 and 3.0.
Any Mac running macOS Tahoe 26 or later, with Apple silicon or an Intel processor. Zipgeist uses file system features that are new in macOS Tahoe, so it can’t run on earlier versions.