How to add an unzip shell extension in Windows

Windows XP includes a useful feature for browsing and decompressing zip files, or "Compressed (zipped) Folders". The decompress feature is accessible by right-clicking on a zip file and selecting "Extract All..." from the context menu. However, its wizard-style interface is cumbersome, slow, and annoying to use. Follow this tip to add an "Extract Inplace.." menu option that unzips the file quickly without any intermediate dialogs.

Instructions

Download unzip.exe

• First download the freeware Unzip utility, which is made by Info-Zip. Their license is lenient but their site is utterly unnavigable, so I've made the downloads available here:
• Download unzip.exe (Version 5.50 for Windows - 156 KB)
• Download Info-zip License (4 KB)

Install unzip.exe

• Copy unzip.exe to your c:\windows\ directory.
• (Alternately, you can copy the file to any directory in your PATH environment variable, such as a new directory called c:\windows\bin\.)

Add the Registry Keys Automatically

• Skip to the next step if you want to add the keys manually.
• Download unzip_extension.reg to your desktop.
• Double-click the file and the shell extension keys will be created.
• Delete the unzip_extension.reg file.
• Skip down to "Test the Extension".

Add the Registry Keys Manually

• Follow these steps at your own risk!
• Press the Windows "Start" button, and click "Run...".
• Type in "regedit" in the text box, then click "OK".
• Using the arrow keys and page up/down keys, or the mouse and scroll bars, expand the keys until you get to "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CompressedFolder\Shell".
• Make sure that the "Shell" key selected,
• From the "Edit" menu, select "New" and then "Key".
• Enter "Extract Inplace" as the name of this new key. (This is the menu item name, and you can call it whatever you like.)
• Make sure that the "Extract Inplace" key is selected.
• Again, from the "Edit" menu, select "New" and then "Key".
• Enter "command" as the name of this key.
• Select the new key named "command", and in the right pane, you will see one key named "(Default)" of type "REG_SZ".
• Double-click the "(Default)" key, or select the key and select "Edit"->"Modify" from the menu.
• Copy and paste the following text into the value data field: unzip.exe -qq "%L"
• Click OK to confirm, compare your results with the image below, and then exit regedit.

Test the Extension

• Find a zip file on your computer.
• Right-click on the zip file.
• Select "Extract Inplace".
• The files should be extracted into the folder containing the zip file. (If files already exist, you will be prompted.)

Further Information

• You can read the unzip.exe v5.50 instructions by typing unzip /? at a command prompt.
• This technique should work with minor modification on all versions of Windows, 95 or later.

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