Stopping Windows 11 from showing .zip files as folders?

Windows 11 shows .zip files as folders in Explorer and I would like to change this behavior. That is, in the left folder pane of Explorer, zip files are shown alongside actual folders. With Windows 10 you could delete the following 3 keys in the Registry which resolved the issue (I am not 100% if removal of the third key listed is actually necessary):

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CompressedFolder\CLSID
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\.zip\CLSID
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{E88DCCE0-B7B3-11d1-A9F0-00AA0060FA31}

I have attempted the same with Windows 11, and while it no longer displays zip files as folders, the zip files themselves are no longer accessible. When double-clicking on a file nothing happens. With Win10, a new Explorer window would open showing the contents of the zip file. Even the "extract" option accessible from a right-click of the file no longer works.

Is there any way to get Win11 to be able to use zip files without having them appear as folders? I'm currently thinking a third party package (eg 7zip) may be necessary, but would rather avoid that if possible.

All of my searching to date hasn't been able to find anything specific to Windows 11, other than a few posting similar complaints, but no actual fix.

If you install an app such as 7zip or Winzip, it will establish file associations and they will show up as files with file type 'zip file', rather than folders . I have 7zip installed.. See screenshot attached.

glasskuter said:

If you install an app such as 7zip or Winzip, it will establish file associations and they will show up as files with file type 'zip file', rather than folders . I have 7zip installed.. See screenshot attached.

Click to expand...

I have 7Zip installed, but Zip files are still folders (with zippers) for me.

I suppose it's due to the file type association.

bobkn said:

I have 7Zip installed, but Zip files are still folders (with zippers) for me.

I suppose it's due to the file type association.

Click to expand...

You are right. You can always change the file type association in settings.

Most zip files contain multiple files and I'm sure typically people just don't want to unzip a load of files into a root folder such as downloads:/ - especially when many might have the same names like read.me or install.txt.

I can't think of many instances where I've encountered a zip or install file that has only one folder -- and there's no point really in "zipping" a single install.exe file in any case.

Cheers
jimbo

GoGoGo said:

I'm currently thinking a third party package (eg 7zip)

Click to expand...

Welcome to ElevenForum.

7zip is a good thing... a great thing in fact. It's also tiny. Install directory is 5MB.

Supported formats:

• Packing / unpacking: 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP and WIM
• Unpacking only: APFS, AR, ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, CramFS, DMG, EXT, FAT, GPT, HFS, IHEX, ISO, LZH, LZMA, MBR, MSI, NSIS, NTFS, QCOW2, RAR, RPM, SquashFS, UDF, UEFI, VDI, VHD, VHDX, VMDK, XAR and Z.

Click to expand...

After I installed 7zip on Windows 11, my 7zip files have a "7" on them and my zip files have a "Z" on them...

@GoGoGo

Here's a collection of commonly asked for Windows 11 tweaks...



Also...

I think the OP has abandoned this thread since it was started on 23 April?

Thanks for all the replies. And no, I hadn't abandoned this thread but hadn't replied personally as none of the replies addressed what I was hoping to accomplish. That is to stop zip files being displayed as folders in Explorer, but still have Windows handle them natively, where if you double-clicked a zip file it would open a new Explorer window to display the contents.

That said, I have since installed 7zip and in conjunction with my Registry tweaks, zip files no longer display as folders. I still need to use 7zip to access them, which I guess may be my best solution.

GoGoGo said:

Thanks for all the replies. And no, I hadn't abandoned this thread but hadn't replied personally as none of the replies addressed what I was hoping to accomplish. That is to stop zip files being displayed as folders in Explorer, but still have Windows handle them natively, where if you double-clicked a zip file it would open a new Explorer window to display the contents.

That said, I have since installed 7zip and in conjunction with my Registry tweaks, zip files no longer display as folders. I still need to use 7zip to access them, which I guess may be my best solution.

Click to expand...

Whether you click on a .zip file or a .7z file, they should both open a windows that shows what is inside.

I fought with compressed files (zip files) for years, till finally 7Zip came along, and that took the real pain out of zipping and unzipping groups of files.
Google still won't let me send ZIP files via email. Arggg!

So, I'm still putting things on CD's and just Mailing them, world wide.

Cheers Mates!
TM

Ghot said:

Whether you click on a .zip file or a .7z file, they should both open a windows that shows what is inside.

Click to expand...

Yes, 7zip handles .zip and .7z files just as expected. But I was hoping to find a way, as I did with Windows 7 and 10, that I could still let Windows handle them natively, but without them showing up as folders within Explorer.

On my system, it is clearly shown as a file, and not a folder. The icon looks like a folder with a zipper through it, but it is clearly grouped with the files. Since I sort alphabetically, where it is located depend upon the name of the file, but it will always be displayyed AFTER the folders, even if it has a name like "AAA.ZIP".

GoGoGo said:

Yes, 7zip handles .zip and .7z files just as expected. But I was hoping to find a way, as I did with Windows 7 and 10, that I could still let Windows handle them natively, but without them showing up as folders within Explorer.

Click to expand...

Personally, I think Microsoft has 157 people designing parts of Windows 11 and none of them communicate with the others. This ofc has the effect of making Windows 11 the sum of it's disparate parts... aka, an unmitigated disaster.

So I at least have resolved to just accept the fact that Windows 11 will never function as a well oiled machine. So, I just came up with my own way of dealing with the various inconsistencies and hope that Windows 12 will be.... much better.

If you believe as I do that every other Windows version is an abject failure, then that goes a long way towards explaining the FUBAR-ness of Windows 11.

hsehestedt said:

On my system, it is clearly shown as a file, and not a folder. The icon looks like a folder with a zipper through it, but it is clearly grouped with the files. Since I sort alphabetically, where it is located depend upon the name of the file, but it will always be displayyed AFTER the folders, even if it has a name like "AAA.ZIP".

Click to expand...

They appear as folders in the left pane of Explorer as part of the folder structure, which is what I do not want. In the right-pane, yes, they look and act as files.

But as I mentioned I now have a workable solution, even though I'd prefer it differently.

Ghot said:

Personally, I think Microsoft has 157 people designing parts of Windows 11 and none of them communicate with the others. This ofc has the effect of making Windows 11 the sum of it's disparate parts... aka, an unmitigated disaster.

So I at least have resolved to just accept the fact that Windows 11 will never function as a well oiled machine. So, I just came up with my own way of dealing with the various inconsistencies and hope that Windows 12 will be.... much better.

If you believe as I do that every other Windows version is an abject failure, then that goes a long way towards explaining the FUBAR-ness of Windows 11.

Click to expand...

LOL! And I would say the same about Win10. Win11 does seem to have made things a little more seamless, but as you mention it does feel at times as though its completely separate things trying to operate together.

GoGoGo said:

They appear as folders in the left pane of Explorer as part of the folder structure, which is what I do not want. In the right-pane, yes, they look and act as files.

But as I mentioned I now have a workable solution, even though I'd prefer it differently.

Click to expand...

Ah yes, I see what you mean now.

TechnoMage2021 said:

Google still won't let me send ZIP files via email. Arggg!

So, I'm still putting things on CD's and just Mailing them, world wide.

Cheers Mates!
TM

Click to expand...

Do you mean Gmail?

I often send zip files by Gmail.

I still have this issue...

I have 7Zip installed and all archives are associated with 7Zip, however archives are still showing as folders in the Windows Explorer navigation-pane.

Any other workarounds?

Mike.

mingle said:

I still have this issue...

I have 7Zip installed and all archives are associated with 7Zip, however archives are still showing as folders in the Windows Explorer navigation-pane.

Any other workarounds?

Mike.

Click to expand...

Method 1:
Right-click on a .zip file
Select Open with
Select Choose another app
Scroll down to and select 7-Zip File Manager
Select Always



Method 2:
Go into the settings Apps > Default apps > Choose defaults by file type
You will see the default for .zip files is Windows Explorer
You can change the default to 7-Zip