Easy 1-minute fix for The Compressed zipped folder is invalid

You may get an error message like Windows cannot open the folder. The Compressed (zipped) folder is invalid when a ZIP-file is corrupt. Causes may vary, but most of the time it’s a ZIP file downloaded from the internet. The download may not have completed successfully.

The error appears in all Windows versions (Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016), since basic ZIP functionality was added.

How to fix Windows cannot open the compressed ZIP folder

There are several ways to fix the issue, but the success rate depends on the cause of the problem. Follow the steps below to fix the compressed zipped folder is invalid

ZIP-file is too large

If your ZIP-file is huge, you may need to use a third-party tool like 7-ZIP. This tool is freeware and can handle most archived files.

ZIP-file is corrupted

If your ZIP-file is corrupted or contains inconsistencies, you may need to repair the file. One great free tool to repair on Windows is Object Fix Zip

Another option is, if you have one, to use a Mac. Run the following command:
zip -FF /Users/fd/yourzipfile.zip –out /Users/fd/yourzipfile2.zip
Of course, replace /Users/fd/yourzipfile.zip with the location of your zip file.

You may also be able to re-download the ZIP-file, if from the internet. Corrupted ZIP-files are often caused by unfinished downloads. In addition, make sure you have sufficient free disk space on your drive!

The compressed zipped folder is invalid because it contains viruses or malware

Often underestimated, a ZIP-file from the internet may very well contain malware, ransomware, or whatsoever. Your antivirus software (Norton, Windows Defender, e.g.) will detect this as soon as you double-click the compressed file. It then blocks access and returns ‘ the compressed zipped folder is invalid ‘

Repair ZIP-file with WinRAR

WinRAR has proven to be effective in repairing invalid ZIP-files.

1. Open WinRAR and navigate to the folder of the corrupted archive. This can be a Temp folder or your Downloads folder.
2. Select the RAR or ZIP file. Click the Repair button in toolbar, and click Repair archiver
3. In the dialog box, choose the location where you want to save the repaired ZIP-file. Click OK to confirm
4. After repairing, navigate to the folder where you saved the repaired archive file. Try to open and extract.

Still no luck? Try to open the ZIP-file with 7-zip. In Windows 7 and 8.1 existed a problem with password protected zip-files that would cause 80004005 errors. In any other case, leave a comment below. This blog gets thousands of visitors every day. There is a great chance someone else can help you fixing ‘ the compressed zipped folder is invalid ‘