Can you decrypt this encrypted ZIP. I can't


P

PhilB

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Windows 11 2H24 7zip 4.1801

I needed to use 7ZIP so I could send an encrypted zip. When I tried to decrypt the enclosed PDF, I got an error message "operation could no be completed." I have RTFMed lots of webpages and YT videos but they did not help.

Is the solution so obvious that I can't see it, staring me in the face?

Meanwhile I look like a newbie or a dop to my wife. :(
 

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The zip file contains a text file, not a PDF, and it's rather difficult for anyone to decrypt it without the password.
 

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pseymour said:
The zip file contains a text file, not a PDF, and it's rather difficult for anyone to decrypt it without the password.
Click to expand...
Duuh. The password is "123456" and yes, it's a TXT file. While the need is to send an encrypted zip, I had the same d--- problem with an encrypted TXT file.

Thanks for the response. I got so frustrated with this problem that I forgot to include the password and this clarification.
 

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MSI X870E Carbon
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64 GB
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The file decrypts fine. I'm not sure what version of 7-Zip you're on ("7zip 4.1801"?), but you might try upgrading. The current version is 25.x.
 

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pseymour said:
The file decrypts fine. I'm not sure what version of 7-Zip you're on ("7zip 4.1801"?), but you might try upgrading. The current version is 25.x.
Click to expand...
So I did the upgrade to v 25.01, encrypted a txt file, and I still got the same error message

1754611869203.webp
I suspect that this issue may be more general than just 7ZIP. If it matters, I'm having this issue on my desktop, which was an in-placed upgrade with 2H24, from Win 10 2H22 + patches.
 

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MSI X870E Carbon
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Das Keyboard 4
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Bitdefender
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Also have Lenovo T14S laptop (me) and Lenovo Slim 71 (wife)
It seems like you're trying to open it with the Windows built-in zip handler. To my knowledge, that does not support encryption. You would need to use 7-Zip or something that supports the encrypted contents.
 

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MS hates you. Or their product PM's do.

Zip and unzip files
Windows 11, version 24H2 supports compression and decompression of various formats, including 7-Zip. However, it does not support operations on encrypted archive files. To create/decompress encrypted archives, consider using non-Microsoft applications such as 7-zip or WinRAR.
Click to expand...
 

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@x509

I'm on 24H2 and using your password, it decrypted with no issue (using 7zip v24.08).



If you think it's a Windows issue, try running sfc /scannow
 
Last edited:

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Ghot said:
@x509

I'm on 24H2 and using your password, it decrypted with no issue (using 7zip v24.08).
[/c]
Click to expand...
You're obviously not in a hurry to update 7-Zip.
I guess if it works, it works.
 

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W11's native ZIP (and other archive file) support comes from the open source libarchive project. Which is fairly decent, but MS didn't really add extra value other than teaching Explorer how to extract a longer list of (mostly obscure) archive formats.

What makes it aggravating is like with browsers, Windows tries to force its native ZIP support as the default Explorer handler instead of allowing 7-Zip or WinZIP the same privilege. For most users, unless you change the .ZIP file type association, it's really libarchive and not always the 7-Zip doing the actual work, unless you picked that app from a context menu.
 

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x509 said:
I suspect that this issue may be more general than just 7ZIP. If it matters, I'm having this issue on my desktop, which was an in-placed upgrade with 2H24, from Win 10 2H22 + patches.
Click to expand...
pseymour said:
It seems like you're trying to open it with the Windows built-in zip handler. To my knowledge, that does not support encryption. You would need to use 7-Zip or something that supports the encrypted contents.
Click to expand...
Windows doesn't support creating encrypted zip files, it does support decrypting them.....

1754619243709.webp

...but (and it's a big 'but') only if you used ZipCrypto encryption. x509's example was encrypted with AES-256, Windows can't handle that.

1754619373271.webp

Here's my revised example (same readme.txt, same 123456 password, ZipCrypto encrypted).
 

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    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

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    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
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    0T6M8G
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    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround.

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    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro 24H2, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine.
Bree said:
Windows doesn't support creating encrypted zip files, it does support decrypting them.....

View attachment 141589

...but (and it's a big 'but') only if you used ZipCrypto encryption. x509's example was encrypted with AES-256, Windows can't handle that.

View attachment 141590

Here's my revised example (same readme.txt, same 123456 password, ZipCrypto encrypted).
Click to expand...
Thanks. But, ZipCrypto is known to be weak, and its passwords can be cracked easily. AES-256 is considered robust. That's what I want to use. Silly me, thinking that Windows 11 (not XP) doesn't support AES-256.

In my specific case, the intended recepient wouldn't know 7ZIP from a credit card application. My Plan B is to send an expensive FedEx envelope (n):devilish:to the recipient.
 

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At a glance

Windows 11 2H25AMD 9900X64 GBAMD 9070 XT
OS
Windows 11 2H25
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
DIY
CPU
AMD 9900X
Motherboard
MSI X870E Carbon
Memory
64 GB
Graphics Card(s)
AMD 9070 XT
Sound Card
built-in
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell 24"
Hard Drives
Sabrent 1 TB NVMe, 4 x SSD (need to check models), 4 x 3.5" HDD, 8-16 TB, all WD
PSU
Seasonic 850
Case
Fractal Design North XL (which I likw)
Cooling
Corsair AIO for CPU, fans for case
Keyboard
Das Keyboard 4
Mouse
Corsair M65 (white)
Internet Speed
1 TB download
Browser
Firefox
Antivirus
Bitdefender
Other Info
Also have Lenovo T14S laptop (me) and Lenovo Slim 71 (wife)
x509 said:
Thanks. But, ZipCrypto is known to be weak, and its passwords can be cracked easily. AES-256 is considered robust. That's what I want to use. Silly me, thinking that Windows 11 (not XP) doesn't support AES-256.

In my specific case, the intended recepient wouldn't know 7ZIP from a credit card application. My Plan B is to send an expensive FedEx envelope (n):devilish:to the recipient.
Click to expand...
Why don't you put file on Onedrive, then only give the end user access to it (you can still use weaker encryption as as a second line of defence)?
 

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x509 said:
Thanks. But, ZipCrypto is known to be weak, and its passwords can be cracked easily. AES-256 is considered robust. That's what I want to use...

...In my specific case, the intended recepient wouldn't know 7ZIP from a credit card application..
Click to expand...
Simple, switch from making a .zip to .7z, then 7-Zip can make a self extracting 7z archive. AES-256 is the only encryption option for .7z.

1754655424274.webp

1754656501535.webp 1754655543485.webp

1754655551278.webp
 
Last edited:

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  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeAMD Athlon Silver 3050U8GBRadeon Graphics
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    Windows 11 Home
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    Laptop
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    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23-R9VY
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
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    8GB
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    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD (from April 2026: 250GB EVO 850)
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    150 Mbps
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    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to mechanical deterioration this PC has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven in 'Other systems' to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel® Core™ i5-520M8GB(integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
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    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
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    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
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    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround.

    In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround.
    Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.
    In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media.
    Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package.

    Also running Insider Dev, and Canary builds and Windows 10 as native boot .vhdx.
  • My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro 24H2, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine.
And then try to send someone an exe without setting off alarms. 🤣🤣
 

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Intel NUC12WSHi7
CPU
12th Gen Core i7-1260P
Motherboard
NUC12WSBi7
Memory
64 GB Micron PC4-25600
Graphics Card(s)
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Sound Card
on-board Realtek HD Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell U3219Q
Screen Resolution
3840 x 2160
Hard Drives
Samsung SSD 990 PRO 1TB
Crucial MX500 2 TB
Keyboard
CODE 104-Key mechanical with Cherry MX Clears
Antivirus
Microsoft Defender

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeAMD Athlon Silver 3050U8GBRadeon Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23-R9VY
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD (from April 2026: 250GB EVO 850)
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to mechanical deterioration this PC has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven in 'Other systems' to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel® Core™ i5-520M8GB(integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround.

    In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround.
    Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.
    In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media.
    Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package.

    Also running Insider Dev, and Canary builds and Windows 10 as native boot .vhdx.
  • My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro 24H2, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine.
Using the right click on the classic right click menu,
1754662035644.webp
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 10
OS
Windows 10
I foolishly ended up cracking the password before I read any replies lol
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Linux Mint
OS
Linux Mint
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
System76 Lemur Pro

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7
OS
Windows 7
garlin said:
If you don't put a password on your ZIP, your AV will scan it and find an EXE inside. :facepalm:
Click to expand...
Well put it in a password protected ZipCrypto encrypted .zip then - File Explorer can handle those :D
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeAMD Athlon Silver 3050U8GBRadeon Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23-R9VY
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD (from April 2026: 250GB EVO 850)
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to mechanical deterioration this PC has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven in 'Other systems' to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel® Core™ i5-520M8GB(integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround.

    In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround.
    Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.
    In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media.
    Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package.

    Also running Insider Dev, and Canary builds and Windows 10 as native boot .vhdx.
  • My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro 24H2, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine.
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