Opens 30+ formats
ZIP, RAR, 7z, TAR, DMG, ISO and ePub all open in one window. Split sets like .001 and .002 join back together, and winmail.dat attachments decode on the spot.
Free 30-day trialv6.0.6
BetterZip for Mac.Edit Any ZIP Without Unzipping.
Open ZIP, RAR, 7z and 30+ other formats. Peek inside, rename or delete files and drop new ones in before anything touches your disk. Made for macOS 13.5 and later.
26.1 MB ZIP download. Apple Silicon and Intel. No account needed.
$0
For the full 30-day trial
30+
Archive formats it opens
177K+
Downloads on MacUpdate
13.5+
Minimum macOS version
Everything an archive needs, in one Mac app
BetterZip treats a ZIP like a regular folder. You browse it, preview files with Quick Look and change its contents without the messy extract and rebuild. That's the quickest way to edit a zip file on Mac.
Edit archives in place
Rename, delete or move items inside the archive. Drag new files in from Finder. Open a document in its own app and BetterZip writes your changes back when you close it.
Quick Look built in
Select any archive in Finder and press Space to see the file list. The preview runs in column view and the sidebar too, so you rarely open the app at all.
Free even without a licensePresets for every job
Save the format, destination, password, filters and naming rules as one preset. Then run it from Finder, the toolbar, Shortcuts or the command line.
Feels like Finder
Browse archives as icons, columns, a flat list or an outline. A right-click submenu in Finder holds every preset, and comic or photo archives open in a full-screen viewer.
Safe by design
AES-256 encryption, an encrypted password vault and a strong password generator come standard. SHA-256 hashes let recipients confirm the archive arrived intact.
Terminal installation
Advanced users can install BetterZip with a single Homebrew command.
$brew install --cask betterzip
How to open Terminal on Mac
- 1Press ⌘ + Space to bring up Spotlight.
- 2Type Terminal into the search field.
- 3Hit Return and a Terminal window opens.
- 4Keep it handy. Finder also lists it under Applications › Utilities.
Installation via Terminal command
- 1Click Copy next to the command above.
- 2Paste it into Terminal with ⌘ + V.
- 3Press Return and let Homebrew fetch version 6.0.6.
- 4BetterZip lands in Applications, plus a betterzip command for scripts.
No Homebrew? Install it from brew.sh, or grab the ZIP straight from the developer.
Download ZIPHow BetterZip works
Three moves cover almost every archive you'll meet on a Mac.
01
Open the archive
Double-click a ZIP, RAR or 7z file, or drag it onto BetterZip. The contents appear right away and nothing gets extracted to disk.
02
Change what's inside
Preview items with Space, then rename, delete or drop in new files. Need one PDF out of a 2 GB download? Drag only that file to your desktop.
03
Save or send
Hit Save to rewrite the archive in place. Or pick a preset that compresses, encrypts and strips .DS_Store clutter for Windows friends in one go.
BetterZip vs Archive Utility
macOS ships with Archive Utility. It unzips and stops there. Here's where a better zip tool earns its spot in your Dock.
| What you want to do | BetterZip | Archive Utility |
|---|---|---|
| See inside an archive before extracting | Yes | No |
| Edit a zip file without unzipping | Yes | No |
| Extract a single file | Yes | No |
| Create AES-256 encrypted archives | Yes | No |
| Strip .DS_Store and __MACOSX for Windows | Yes | No |
| Saved presets, AppleScript and CLI | Yes | No |
| Price | $35 once, after a 30-day trial | Free, built into macOS |
Download old BetterZip versions
Running an older Mac? MacItBetter still hosts every major release back to BetterZip 1.8. Pick the build that matches your macOS and the link pulls the official file.
Which one do I need?
On macOS 13.5 or newer, grab 6.0.6. Stuck on High Sierra through Ventura 13.4? Version 5.4.2 is your build.
What BetterZip users say
Designers, developers and office folks who live in archives every day.
I needed to edit a zip file on Mac for a client hand-off and BetterZip let me rename two files and delete a stray folder right inside the archive. No extracting, no re-zipping.
Hannah P.
The Quick Look extension is the quiet hero. I press Space on any ZIP in Finder and see what's inside before I decide to open it. Works even without a license.
Omar S.
My studio iMac still runs Catalina, so I went looking to download old BetterZip builds. Version 5.4.2 installed fine and handles every RAR our vendors send.
Lukas W.
Presets changed how I ship files. One click strips .DS_Store junk, encrypts with AES-256 and drops the archive in my outbox. Windows colleagues stopped asking about weird folders.
Priya N.
Solid BetterZip Mac upgrade. Column view feels like Finder and 7z extraction got noticeably quicker on my M2. Took a minute to find the upgrade discount, so read the buy page carefully.
Tom B.
Corporate email keeps sending me winmail.dat attachments. BetterZip decodes them on the spot, which alone justified buying a license.
Elena V.
The Homebrew cask also links a betterzip command, so our build scripts call the same presets I use in the app. Great fit for CI jobs that package releases.
Ravi K.
Searched "better zip" after Archive Utility choked on a 7z file. Two minutes later I was browsing the archive like a folder. Easy purchase after the trial.
Grace M.
The password vault remembers every archive key for me. Clients send encrypted folders weekly and I haven't typed a password twice since switching.
Felix D.
BetterZip questions, answered
Short answers to what people ask before they download.
Is BetterZip free?
The download is free and runs as a full 30-day trial. After that, a one-time license costs $35 with no subscription. The Quick Look extension stays free for everyone.
How do I edit a zip file on Mac without extracting it?
Open the ZIP in BetterZip. Rename, delete or move items and drag new files in from Finder. Open any file in its own app and BetterZip saves your edits back into the archive.
Where can I download old BetterZip versions?
The version list above links to official legacy builds. Version 5.4.2 covers macOS 10.13 and later, and older releases go back to 1.8.3 for Tiger-era Macs.
What macOS version does BetterZip 6 need?
BetterZip 6.0.6 requires macOS 13.5 or later. It runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, with no Rosetta needed.
How do I install BetterZip via Terminal?
With Homebrew set up, run brew install --cask betterzip. The app goes into Applications and a betterzip command becomes available for scripts.
Can BetterZip open and create RAR files?
RAR archives open and extract out of the box. Creating new RAR files needs the external rar command-line tool, which BetterZip calls once you install it.
Is Better Zip the same app as BetterZip?
Yes. Plenty of people type Better Zip with a space, but the app's name is BetterZip. MacItBetter, an independent studio, has built it since 2006.
Which archive formats does BetterZip support?
It opens over 30 formats including ZIP, RAR, 7z, TAR, DMG, ISO, CAB and ePub. New archives can be ZIP, 7-Zip, TAR variants, DMG, ISO, Zstandard or Brotli.
Try BetterZip free for 30 days
Every feature unlocked, no account and no subscription. Keep it for a one-time $35 if it earns a place on your Mac.