View archives in a separate Explorer window?

Question

Using Windows 10 22H2.

Open Windows Explorer and navigate to a .zip or .cab. Double-click the file and Windows displays the files inside the archive as if the archive were a folder. This happens in the same Explorer window.

My ideal behaviour is for a new Explorer window to be opened to view the files. This can be done by right-clicking the archive and choosing the option Open in new window, but requires a few extra clicks.

Can Windows be configured to set the default Open action to use a new Explorer window? This should only apply to specific file types like archives.

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Feb 29 '24 at 17:55

Not exactly an answer, but an alternative way to open ZIP and CAB archives in a new window: use a third-party tool, such as free 7-Zip. Such tools also provide additional functionality, such as encryption, handling other archive formats such as GZIP, ISO, RAR and TAR, setting compression level, etc. Now, opening a Zip or other archive opens the utility's window.

If you do install a third-party tool, then associate the tool with the various archive formats and then disable Windows Explorer handling them. That default handling can also be restored, should you wish.

To disable Explorer handling ZIP and CAB file, save the following as a .reg file and run it:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; adapted from scripts by Shawn Brink
; ZIP handling
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CompressedFolder\CLSID]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\.zip\CLSID]
; CAB handling
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CABFolder\CLSID]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\.cab\CLSID]

To enable Explorer handling ZIP and CAB file, save the following as a .reg file and run it:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; adapted from scripts by Shawn Brink
; ZIP handling
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CompressedFolder\CLSID]
  @="{E88DCCE0-B7B3-11d1-A9F0-00AA0060FA31}"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\.zip\CLSID]
  @="{E88DCCE0-B7B3-11d1-A9F0-00AA0060FA31}"
; CAB handling
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CABFolder\CLSID]
  @="{0CD7A5C0-9F37-11CE-AE65-08002B2E1262}"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\.cab\CLSID]
  @="{0CD7A5C0-9F37-11CE-AE65-08002B2E1262}"

See also this related question.

score 1 · Answer 2 · 2024-03-01T01:01:17.827

Your ask is large and is not natively attainable.

Windows 10: No and since Windows 10 is very near end of life, nothing planned.

Windows 11: Has a tabbed File Explorer Interface. You can open in Same Tab, or New Tab.

However, Windows 11 Open is not based on file type.

So above is all you can do as File Explorer in Windows provides.

You can research 3rd party File Explorer Apps. I have xPlorer2 (Zabkat) but that does not (natively) do what you want. It open ZIPs in the same Window.

Otherwise you are stuck with a couple of extra clicks - which is how I do it.

View archives in a separate Explorer window?

2 Answers2