Have you downloaded a .zip file only to your Windows computer and are now struggling to open it? By default, you are supposed to right-click the file, and the Extract All option will appear on the resulting jump list.
However, there are times when this option is entirely missing from your jump list when you right-click a .zip file. This article will explore all possible causes for this pesky problem and how to fix it.
Is WinZip installed on your computer?
According to Microsoft’s Community Page, some users reported that while they did not see the Extract All in the jump list, they saw open with WinZip. Now, for those not familiar with WinZip, it is a premium application for opening .zip files.
In the old days (before Microsoft natively baked a tool for opening zipped files), the likes of WinZip used to be the go-to-apps for opening these types of files. Now, that Microsoft has baked the feature natively to Windows 10. Most people will not find a need to purchase the WinZip application.
However, some Microsoft Community Page commenters claim that they bought their computer with the app pre-installed. That means they most likely did not purchase the premium version and when the trial period lapsed. If you have WinZip installed on your system, it automatically disables the Extract Feature on your Windows system.
Failure to purchase the premium version after the lapse of the trial period leads to you no longer being able to open .zip files.
Fix if WinZip preventing you from seeing Extract All
Suppose you have an expired WinZip application in your system. Then definitely Extract All, which is natively available on Windows 10 and is free, will not be available for use. To enable it, you need to uninstall WinZip from your Windows system. This fix should fix the problem. The same process applies if you had installed WinRAR or any other third-party .zip file openers instead of WinZip.
No WinZip installed but still, Extract All not seen
There are circumstances where you don’t have the WinZip or any other files compressing applications installed on your system. Yet (for the love of God), you cannot see the Extract All on the jump list after right-clicking a .zip file.
The culprit in such a case is most likely there was some tampering with the default app setting. So instead of having File Explorer as the default app, you have another application. From the screenshot below, you can see that was the case. The .zip file has a VLC icon, and when you open it, it opens on the VLC media player app. VLC is a multimedia application for sound and/or video playback. It has no business opening .zip files.
How to Fix the Problem
Open Cortana (on your keyboard, press the Start Key) and start typing default app.
Click the default app, and scroll down to and click Choose default app by file type.
Now scroll down to .zip, and to the right, click on the supposed default app. A drop-down list should appear, giving you the various options of apps for opening the .zip files.
In our example, the default app was mistakenly placed as VLC, and we corrected it to Windows Explorer. Now close the default app window.
Go back to your downloaded .zip file. You will notice that the icon has already changed to the default windows ‘Folder’ icon but with a zip running up vertically. It now means you have fixed the problem, and you can right-click your .zip file and behold. Right there, you will have the Extract All function returned to the jump list.
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