6 Best Tools to Fix Corrupt Archive Files in Windows
Resolve corrupted archive files efficiently with our software picks
8 min. read
Updated on
Share this article
This article is translated in
Improve this guide
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial team Read more
Key notes
- Working with corrupted archived files is not only risky but also impossible sometimes.
- For this purpose, we're listing a few tools to help you repair those files or the archive beforehand.
- We recommend trustworthy extraction and repair software and suggest how to make most of their features.
Are you looking for the best software to fix corrupt archive files? If the answer is yes, then continue reading this guide to learn what are the best tools to fix corrupt archive issues.
Data corruption happens a lot typically when dealing with a huge number of files at a time. Archive files sometimes may be incomplete or rendered corrupt due to a myriad of reasons that lead to the loss of important information contained in the file.
Furthermore, some Windows users get the misconception that an archived file cannot get corrupted which is not necessarily true. It may be good to compress multiple files at once to save space, but it only takes one corrupt file to render the process incomplete.
This leads to the extraction process halting when it gets to the corrupt file(s).
If you are experiencing issues with a corrupted archived file, the Windows Report team has curated some of the best methods to fix corrupt archive files.
How to fix corrupt archive files on Windows 10?
WinZip – Fully secure file archiver
WinZip is the most popular file compression tool, that also supports valuable functions such as sharing, managing, protecting, and backing up your files.
The tool can be used to try fixing corrupt files included in a particular archive file, be it .zip or .zipx. The steps are as follows:
- Type Command Prompt in the search bar and open as admin.
- In the dialog box that opens, type the following command:
C:Program FilesWinZipwzzip" -yf zipfile.zip - Press Enter.
For a split or spanned Zip file, use the following command instead: C:Program FilesWinZipwzzip" -yfs zipfile.zip
Note: Change the letter C with the corresponding drive on your device where the WinZip folder is located.
By using this command, WinZip will create a new Zip file with a FIXED suffix in the file name. The original Zip file will not be modified. Only the data in the original Zip file is used.
The FIXED Zip file is accessible, but the data may still be corrupt.
WinZip is an excellent file compression and protection tool; to find out more, see our WinZip page for the whole collection of articles.
WinZip
Use this popular tool to compress, share, manage, password-protect, and back up your important large files.WinRAR – Most efficient file archive and transfer
WinRAR is one of the most popular file extraction utility software used worldwide as it incorporates various advanced tools and features. This software can also be used to repair corrupt ZIP and RAR formats.
WinRAR incorporates a file repair tool in the software which helps to repair corrupted archives and it’s highly recommended by Windows Report. The steps to use this powerful utility application to repair the corrupt archive files are as follows:
- Launch WinRAR, click on the address bar and then select the location where the corrupted file is saved.
- Click on the corrupted archive file (RAR or ZIP file)
- Click on the Repair button in the tool and choose the repair archiver from the drop-down list that appears.
- A new dialogue appears, choose the location where you want to save the new archive after repairing the file. Click on OK to save settings.
- After the repair process is completed, go to the folder chosen as the location for the new archive and access the repaired file.
Alternatively, you can fix corrupt archive files (most especially small-sized corrupt archive files) by using the shortcut menu. Here’s how to do this:
- Launch WinRAR
- Select the corrupt archive file and right-click on it
- Click on extract files in the shortcut menu that pops up
- Move to the Extraction path and options menu and choose a folder to save decompressed archives.
- Check the box indicating keep broken files in Miscellaneous
- Click OK to start the extraction process. Error messages might appear on the screen; ignore them and extract the archive.
- Check the saved folder for all the incorrupt files
Note: This method works well in some cases but it is recommended to try all the alternative methods listed above before resorting to this method to repair archived files.
WinRAR
Repair and open corrupt archived files easily with this powerful extraction software.PowerArchiver – 256-bit AES encryption
PowerArchiver Repair ZIP is one of the simple, fast, and effective tools for fixing corrupt archive files. This utility software, despite its small size, contains advanced features which make it a useful option to consider.
The entire repair process is relatively simple as the tool comes with a simplified user interface that assists newbies in scaling easily through the application. The repair process itself is fast and most notably, it supports different formats of archived files.
After the repair process is completed, the new archive file is saved in the same folder as the corrupted file which can then be quickly accessed for further use.
PowerArchiver gives access to full compression and encryption options for your files.
Along with that, it gives you the possibility to create secure data backups that you can use to easily restore your files in case anything happens to them.
Other key features of PowerArchiver include:
- Advanced codec pack
- Mount ISO images into a virtual drive
- Office plug in to automatically compress files
- Access to 6 different cloud services
It supports tons of compression formats, including ZIP, ZIPX, 7Z, RAR, and more. Along with these popular formats, it also gives you the possibility to compress into the PA format, which gives you the strongest compression possible.
DiskInternals ZIP Repair – Easiest ZIP file repair
DiskInternals Zip Repair tool is a handy utility tool that helps in the recovery of data and archived files.
The Zip Repair tool is a freeware released by DiskInternals and is renowned for its capability of recovering corrupt archive files.
This software is lightweight while installation only takes a few minutes. The user interface is simplified and it only takes a few clicks to select the corrupt archived file to recover while the program automates the recovery process.
DiskInternals Zip Repair can repair several forms of ZIP files and the files recovered are saved in any location preferred by the user.
The tool can be used on pretty much any Windows-running computer, as it is compatible with versions starting from Windows 95 and going all the way to Windows 11.
Other key features of Disk Internals Zip Repair include:
- Support for multiple file types
- Convert files of any size
- Save recovered files on any disk
The tool comes in handy when recovering ZIP files that are not large in size and is quite effective.
Zip2Fix – Fast processing damage file repair
Zip2Fix is also a recovery tool that uses a different recovery protocol that differs from the traditional methods.
This powerful utility tool is effective in fixing corrupt archive files by extracting the good files and then zipping them back into a new archive. This ensures that you recover the good aspects of the zip file that is corrupted or damaged.
Running the program is easy to do with its simple user interface as you only need to locate the corrupt ZIP file leaving the software to automatically begin the recovery process.
The tool is light so you should have no issue running it even on lower-end or older computers.
It is easy to use and portable. You can add it to removable media and just open the executable file. It will directly take you to the main window of the UI.
The tool scans your archive and gives you information about all files, letting you know which are corrupt.
Other key features of Zip2Fix:
- Quick and easy to use
- Freeware
- Compatible with Windows OS, starting with Windows XP
Zip2Fix is ideal if you have a large ZIP file and you intend to recover the good aspects of the file instead of a full recovery.
Object Fix Zip – Fixes files with CRC errors
Object Fix Zip is a popularly utilized recovery tool to repair corrupt or partially damaged archived files.
The tool comes in an easy-to-install package that comes with advanced algorithms that make it an effective software to fix corrupt archive files.
Moreover, Object Fix Zip uses a four-pronged procedure that starts from the addition of files to be repaired all through the fixing process.
Furthermore, this software indicates the archive properties to users and specifies the location best for saving repaired files.
Furthermore, Object Fix Zip is a free application that can be used to fix corrupt archive files. Despite its numerous features, it is important to note that it has not been updated for a while and may not be suited for largely-sized archives.
So these would be our recommendations.
Please keep in mind that although you will be able to access the corrupt archive using one of these tools, it is possible that they still contain a corrupt file, that you should delete or scan using antivirus software.
If you’re looking for efficient ways of combining RAR files, the highlighted guide will help you.
For any questions, don’t hesitate to use the comments section below.
