# unzipping batches of files

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unzipping-batches-of-files/275863>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 20, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unzipping-batches-of-files/275863 "2004-11-20T20:48:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![pope\_hentai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@pope\_hentai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pope_hentai)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unzipping-batches-of-files/275863/1 "2004-11-20T20:48:31Z")

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need ot know if theres a program that will unzip multiple .zip files at one time. got a decent sized number of smaller zip files and want to open them all into the same directory without having to open them indivivually

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**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unzipping-batches-of-files/275863/2 "2004-11-20T21:15:55Z")

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Go to [aladdinsys.com](http://aladdinsys.com) (Aladdin Software, I think they just changed their name to Allume for some reason but the old link works). In addition to the famous Stuffit and Stuffit Expander products for Mac, they have a PC version, I think it’s called Aladdin Expander (or maybe Allume Expander nowadays?). Anyway, you just drag-n-drop however many .zip (or .sit or .uu or .hqx or .sitx or .bin or .tar or .gz or .dmg or .cpt or .sea or .etc .etc .etc .etc .etc) files you want to decompress on top of it and it’ll process them all sequentially.

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**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unzipping-batches-of-files/275863/3 "2004-11-20T21:30:47Z")

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WinRAR allows you to both unzip all files into the same folder or each file into a seperate folder. Very handy.

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**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unzipping-batches-of-files/275863/4 "2004-11-20T21:33:50Z")

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If you’ve already got WinZip, they have a command-line version that’s designed for mass unzips and other similar tasks. it’s particularly useful for automatiing routine tasks, such as receiving the week’s reports from the field offices as a collection of individual zips which you want to unzip as a group and then combine, etc.

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**Author:** ![luluBahrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e5b9ba/32.png) [@luluBahrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luluBahrain)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unzipping-batches-of-files/275863/5 "2004-11-20T21:47:38Z")

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Just wanted to say I read the subject line as “Unzipping Batches of Flies” and thought you might be gross. I see that I was wrong but it made me laugh thinking of little buzzing, Levi wearing bugs flying around with their barn doors open.