ZIP & Archive Manager for Android
AnExplorer's built-in archive manager lets you work with compressed files directly on your device — no separate unarchiver app needed, and no cloud service to pay for.
Supported Archive Formats
| Format | Create | Extract | Preview |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZIP | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| RAR / RAR5 | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| TAR | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| TAR.GZ (.tgz) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| TAR.BZ2 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| 7z | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| XAPK | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
Creating Archives
Select files or folders in AnExplorer → tap Compress → choose format (ZIP or 7z) → name the output file. The archive is created in the same folder or any destination you choose.
Password-protected ZIP: When creating a ZIP, toggle the password option and set a passphrase. The encrypted archive is compatible with standard tools on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Extracting Archives
Tap any archive to see its contents first. Then:
- Extract All — all contents to a new folder named after the archive
- Extract Here — contents land in the current folder
- Extract to... — choose any destination including SD card, USB OTG, or cloud
Sub-folders inside the archive are recreated exactly.
Preview Without Extracting
Tap the archive icon to browse its directory tree in-place — see files, sizes, and folder structure before deciding whether to extract. This saves time with large archives (e.g., checking if a downloaded game mod has the right folder layout).
Password-Protected Archives
AnExplorer prompts for the password when you tap an encrypted ZIP or 7z archive. AES-256 encryption (the strongest standard) is fully supported.
Extract Directly to USB or SD Card
Navigate to an archive → Extract to → choose USB OTG or SD Card. The files are written directly to the destination — internal storage is not used as intermediate space.
XAPK Extraction (APK Installer)
XAPK files are ZIP archives containing an APK and OBB expansion data. AnExplorer's APK Installer handles XAPK installation automatically, including placing OBB files in the correct /Android/obb/ path.
WhatsApp Backup Compression
Select the entire /WhatsApp/ folder → Compress to ZIP → upload to Cloud Storage or copy to USB OTG. One file, all your WhatsApp data, compressed.