How do I unzip a file on Mac, Windows, iPhone or Android?

3 min read · Updated 2026-11-13

Short answer

You do not need extra software. Double-click on a Mac, right-click and choose Extract All on Windows, tap it in the Files app on iPhone, and use Files by Google on Android.

When you press Download all on Pandafile, you get one .zip file holding everything the sender shared. A .zip is just a container. To use the files inside, you extract, or unzip, it. Every modern computer and phone can do this on its own.

Three panels: on Mac double-click transfer.zip to get a folder; on Windows right-click and choose Extract All; on a phone tap the zip in the Files app
The built-in way to open a .zip on each device.

On a Mac

  1. Open Finder and go to Downloads.
  2. Double-click the .zip file.
  3. A folder with the same name appears next to it, holding all your files.

On Windows

  1. Open File Explorer and go to Downloads.
  2. Right-click the .zip file and choose Extract All.
  3. Pick where to put the files, or keep the suggested folder, then press Extract.
  4. A new folder opens with your files inside.

On iPhone or iPad

  1. Open the Files app and go to Downloads, or wherever Safari saved the file.
  2. Tap the .zip file once.
  3. A folder with the same name appears. Tap it to see your files.

On Android

  1. Open the Files by Google app, or your phone's own file manager.
  2. Go to Downloads and tap the .zip file.
  3. Choose Extract, then open the new folder.

Android phones from different makers name things slightly differently, but most have an Extract or Unzip option when you tap or long-press a .zip.

If it will not open

  • Make sure the download finished. A half-downloaded .zip will not open.
  • Check you have free space for the unzipped files as well as the .zip itself.
  • Try downloading again while the transfer is still available.
  • If the sender put a .zip or .rar inside the transfer, that inner file may need its own app or password from the sender.

Once your files are out, you can delete the .zip to save space. The folders inside will match exactly what the sender uploaded.

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