How can I open password protected zip file?

I have also encountered the situation of forgetting the password of the compressed package before, and finally used Dr.ZIP to successfully open it. It is a relatively reliable tool. The operation is simple and there is no messy stuff.

I follow this tutorial and unlock my zip file successfully. 

https://www.mobiledic.com/unlock-zip-password

Opening a password-protected ZIP file requires knowing the correct password. Here's how you can do it on different platforms: You can use the built-in tool to open password protected zip file if you know the original password.

On Windows:

1. Double-click the ZIP file.
2. When prompted, enter the password.
3. Extract the files by clicking "Extract All" in File Explorer.

On Mac:

1. Double-click the ZIP file.
2. Enter the password when prompted.
3. The files will be extracted automatically.

Important Notes:

Strong Passwords: If the password is complex (long + special characters), recovery may take a very long time or be impossible.

Alternative Approach: If possible, ask the file creator for the password.

There are some other command line methods that you can try to open password protected zip file on Windows 11. Although they are not 100% successful, if you want to try it yourself without third-party GUI software, there are still some ways to go. Here are three command line methods I know 👇

Method 1: Use 7z command (p7zip)

If you have the command line version of 7-Zip installed, you can use 7z to manually enter the password to try to decompress:

bash
7z x protected.zip -pYourPassword

As long as you guess the password correctly, it can directly help you decompress the file. You can run this command multiple times with different passwords to open password protected zip file in a loop, and you can also use bat scripts to batch test.

Method 2: Use zip + bash script (for WSL or Git Bash)
If you are using Windows Subsystem for Linux or Git Bash, you can write a simple script to crack common passwords:

bash
for p in password123 123456 welcome test123; do
unzip -P $p protected.zip -d output && echo "Password is: $p" && break
done

This method does not require third-party tools. It automatically runs a bunch of passwords through the script. It can also open password protected zip files, especially if the password is simple or you have clues.

Method 3: Customize brute force decompression script with PowerShell
You can also write a PowerShell script to batch try the password list:

powershell
Copy
Edit
$zipPath = "C:\test\protected.zip"
$passwords = Get-Content "C:\test\passwords.txt"

foreach ($pwd in $passwords) {
try {
Expand-Archive -Path $zipPath -DestinationPath "C:\test\out" -Password (ConvertTo-SecureString $pwd -AsPlainText -Force)
Write-Host "Success! Password is $pwd"
break
} catch {
continue
}
}

This method uses the system's built-in PowerShell command, which can be used with a password dictionary file to perform batch testing. It is a geeky way to open a password protected zip file.

Although these command line methods are a little more cumbersome to operate, they are a good choice for people who like to tinker and don't want to install third-party software. As long as the password is not too complicated, you can open the password protected zip file if you have a chance. It's better to give it a try than to give up~

I have encountered the same situation as you before. I have forgotten the password of an old encrypted zip file. It is really frustrating. But don't worry. Although it is a bit difficult without third-party tools, there are still several ways to try. Maybe you can open password protected zip file. I have sorted out three ideas:

✅ Method 1: Try the command line tool powershell that comes with Windows
You can use PowerShell to call the compression function, but you have to guess the password to decrypt it. However, you can use a small script to run a batch of common passwords, such as:

powershell
Add-Type -Assembly 'System.IO.Compression.FileSystem'
[System.IO.Compression.ZipFile]::ExtractToDirectory("D:\test.zip", "D:\output", $true)

You change the password every time and try it once. Although it is a local method, it can be tried out bit by bit. It is suitable for when you may remember the password prefix or structure.

✅ Method 2: Open the zip file with Notepad to see if there are any clues
This trick can sometimes come in handy - open the zip file with Notepad (yes, right-click and open it with Notepad). Some compression tools will write the file name or comments when compressing. If you are lucky, you can see some hints about the password, such as the file name contains birthday, company name, etc.

Although it may not be possible to open the password protected zip file directly, it may help you regain your memory!

✅ Method 3: Use old computers or historical records to find clues
If you have an old computer, old browser, or even a tool record used to compress this file before, sometimes the compression tool will save the most recently used password or operation record, such as WinRAR's password history has been recorded in the registry.

This method is more roundabout, but I really used this to retrieve it once before, and finally opened the password protected zip file.

There are a few free tools that can help you recover or open password protected ZIP file. Here are some popular options:

1. 7-Zip:

- Download and install 7-Zip.
- This is primarily a file archiver but can be useful for extracting files if you have a working password. If you can't remember the password, it won't help directly, but it's worth having as it supports various formats.

2. ZIP Password Recovery:
- A couple of free utilities exist like Free ZIP Password Recovery or ZIP Cracker. These tools usually implement brute-force or dictionary attack methods to crack passwords. In this way you are able to open password protected ZIP file. Just be careful and download from reputable sites to avoid viruses.

3. John the Ripper:
- This is a widely-used password cracking software. But it's a bit techy and works on the command line. If you’re comfortable with that, there are plenty of guides online to help you set it up for ZIP file cracking.