Unzipping Mac .zip files on a Windows PC

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Level 2

280 points

Unzipping Mac .zip files on a Windows PC

Does anybody know of a Windows program that will decompress Mac .zip (gz) files reliably? I've Tried StuffIt Standard for Windows but it quits every time with a warning, "Engine Error:Internal Error." Sure, I can make .sit files on the Mac and use Stuffit to expand them in Windows, but that's not the solution I'm looking for. If I already have a Mac .zip file on my Windows PC is there any way to open it without using a Mac?

I've searched these forums but all my searches come up with answers to the opposite question: How do I open Windows .zip files on my Mac?

PowerBook 17 1.33 & Mac Mini, Mac OS X (10.4.4)

Posted on Feb 22, 2006 4:53 PM

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Answer 1

Wade Peeler

Level 6

10,906 points

Feb 23, 2006 9:52 AM in response to MacHound

A .gz file is not a "Mac Zip file" but a GNU Zip file, which is commonly used on Unix and Linux computers (OS X is a form of Unix).

You can get a gzip application for Windows here, or Google for something like "gzip for Windows".

Archives made by the Finder on a Mac are regular zip files (.zip files), just like the ones you would see on Windows.

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Answer 2

MacHound Author

Level 2

280 points

Feb 23, 2006 8:59 AM in response to Templeton Peck

No I didn't want to plunk down $30 unless somebody could say whether it actually works to open Mac .zip files. The WinZip home page says nothing about gz or Mac archives. Is WinZip reliable for Mac .zip decoding and encoding?

I tried PowerArchiver and FreeZip but those programs didn't work for me. WinZip gets mediocre reviews at VersionTracker compared to StuffIt 9.0 (Win), which itself is getting consistently poor reviews lately.

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Answer 3

Feb 22, 2006 5:25 PM in response to MacHound

Did you try WinZip?

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