Windows recognize arbitrary file format as a zip archive

Question

Windows Explorer will automatically open .zip archives as a file folder. I'm making a custom file format for some data analysis that is nothing more than a zip archive of text files. However, I want to be able to keep track of them so I don't want the extension to be .zip.

Is there a way to make Windows Explorer open files with a custom extension ("file.experiment") as if it were a zipped folder?

P.S., I know I can do this with 7-zip right-click, or by changing the extension to .zip for the file I want to open. I would like explorer to just recognize that .experiment or whatever is a zip and just open it when I double click

Answer 1

• Open an elevated command prompt (Run As Administrator)
• Run this command:

cmd /c assoc .experiment=CompressedFolder

• Windows Explorer can now open .experiment files as if they were .zip

Adapted from this answer to a different question.

Answer 2

Create an example file, test.zip, and rename it test.example

right click that file and choose open with

Choose default program

find and select winrar or 7zip.

This should then open any files with the .example file format in 7zip or whatever program you choose.

The file format will have to be compatible though with the software you want to open it with, otherwise it won't recognize the file.