How to extract multiple ZIP files at once in Windows 11 (2024)

ZIP files and other compressed archive formats, such as RAR, are very common on the internet since they let you easily share multiple files by compressing them in size. Windows 11 can open ZIP files natively, and with a recent update, it actually supports a lot more formats as well. But what if you have multiple files?

By itself, Windows 11 can't handle multiple ZIP files at once. If you select more than one and try to extract them, only the last you selected will be extracted. Thankfully, you can use third-party apps such as WinRAR and 7-Zip to fix that.

How to extract multiple ZIP files at once with WinRAR

Extracting multiple ZIP files at once is actually super easy once you have the right software. Here's how it goes:

1. Download WinRAR from the official website.
2. Run the installer and follow the steps using the default settings.
3. Make sure your ZIP files are all in the same folder.
4. Select the ZIP files and right-click them, then hover over WinRAR and choose one of the extraction options:

   

   1. Extract files...: Extract the contents of the ZIP files using custom settings.
   2. Extract to (folder name): Extract the contents of the ZIP files to a new folder. The name is selected based on the file you right-click on.
   3. Extract here: Extract the contents of the ZIP files into the current folder.
   4. Extract each archive into a separate folder: Create a new folder for the contents of each ZIP file.

Once you follow the steps above, you'll have the contents of all your ZIP files in the folder you selected based on the option you chose. We recommend using WinRAR because it's a fairly lightweight app, and it integrates with Windows 11's modern context menus, so it's the easiest to use.

How to extract multiple ZIP files using 7-Zip

Alternatively, you can use 7-Zip for the same purpose. This is another very popular app, and it has the benefit of having a native Arm version, which is great if you have an Arm-based Windows PC like the Surface Pro 9 with 5G.

1. Download 7-Zip from the official website.
2. Run the installer.
3. Ensure your ZIP files are all in the same folder.
4. Select the ZIP Files and right-click them, then choose Show more options.
5. Hover over 7-Zip and choose one of the extraction options:

   

   1. Extract files...: Extract the contents of the ZIP files using custom settings.
   2. Extract here: Extract the contents of the ZIP files into the current folder.
   3. Extract to "*/": Extract the contents of each ZIP file into a separate folder with the same name.

Extract multiple ZIP files with the command line

Both WinRAR and 7-Zip can also be used to extract files using the command line in either Windows Terminal or Command Prompt. This requires some setup, but it's not too difficult. We'll focus on 7-Zip here as it's more widely compatible; WinRAR appears to only support RAR files in the command line.

First, you'll want to add 7-Zip to your system environment variables:

1. Find the folder where you installed 7-Zip. The default should be C:\Program Files\7-Zip.
2. Open the Start menu (or Search) and search for environment variables. Select the Edit system environment variables option.

   

3. Click Environment variables.

   

4. Under System variables, select Path and then click Edit.

   

5. Click New.

   

6. Paste the path to the 7-Zip folder mentioned in step 1.

   

7. Click OK in all three open windows to save your changes.

Once this is done, you can use the usual 7-Zip commands anywhere to extract your files.

1. Navigate to the folder where you have your ZIP files.

   Make sure no unwanted ZIP files are in the same folder.

2. Right-click an empty area and choose Open in Terminal.

   

3. Enter the following command: 7z e *.zip.

   

   • This will extract all files in the folder with the ZIP extension. If you have archives with different extensions, you must change the command accordingly.
4. Press Enter.

7-Zip will extract the files directly into the folder you're currently in.

Extracting multiple ZIP files at once saves you time

No matter which of these methods you use, the ability to extract multiple ZIP files can save you a lot of time if you have a lot of files to go through. Even though you don't need special software to open RAR files in Windows 11 anymore, third-party tools are still very useful for features like this, whether you're using a great laptop or prebuilt PC.