Can I stop windows from "Blocking" zip files

Question

When downloading a zip file from the internet, Windows "blocks" it. By that I mean I have to right click>Properties>and click unblock.

Is there a way to stop windows from doing this?

Answer 1

I think this is what you want:

You do not say if you are using a Pro or home version.

If you you have a Pro version, open gpedit.msc (this is not available in home version, but is easier to use) and go to:

User Configuration>Administrative Templates>Windows Components>Attachment Manager

and enable the policy called

Do not preserve zone information in file attachments

Then run gpupdate /force from a command prompt.

If you have a home version of the OS, go to this registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments

and edit the value for key

SaveZoneInformation to 2

You may have to create these keys, and if you want, you can also create them system-wide here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachment‌s

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/883260

Answer 2

KCotreau offers an admirably techy solution. However, I prefer a simpler approach.

So my 2025 short answer is, if you are an experienced user and/or have faith in what you have downloaded, then do not use the built-in Windows ZIP-extraction tool.

7-Zip, PeaZip, and NanaZip (a 7-Zip fork) are all well-regarded alternatives that are open source.

The Windows ZIP extractor will break some legitimate applications with its security measures, without asking whether what you actually wanted to do was not to be able to use the handy software that you just downloaded.

If you do use the Windows extractor, it's easier to unblock the download before you unzip it, otherwise you have to unblock lots of files. (Check "Unblock" at the bottom of Properties / General.)

Also remember that if you're manually copying downloaded applications into Program Files or other official directories, Windows will probably again change the file permissions around.

The longer answer is that it's 2025, and let me say that yes, Windows is more secure in many areas than it used to be. Not all. For example, it arrogantly uploads a lot of things to OneDrive, often without asking permission to do so, and that is not my idea of sensible security. In fact OneDrive is so intrusive that it is akin to malware, or at least adware. But there is another problem. Windows goes so far with some of its security assumptions that it creates some real nuisances for users.

An example of a high-quality program that doesn't work if you extract it in the normal way is CUETools.

Here is why according to its wiki Microsoft may not trust it:

"Depending on browser configuration and Windows Group Policy settings, downloaded archives may include the Alternate Data Stream :Zone.Identifier:$DATA when saved. All files extracted from an archive with this identifier will also have the Alternate Data Stream identifier. Windows may block or partially limit files with this identifier."

Windows expects us to have total trust in Microsoft (which I don't have), but if you download well-known open source software, it may not trust it, and may not ask you whether you trust it. And it is more difficult than before to restore full access, because it may change file permissions for the directory and for all subdirectories. This creates headaches for users without guaranteeing security since code can still be executed from within those directories. What this does do is to guarantee confusion. And this is especially true since Windows keeps changing its security features as well as how to overcome them. So there is no one-size-fits-all answer that we know will continue to work.

Yes, there are some features that prevent users from shooting themselves (or their employers) in the foot. Yes, it should warn if you run an unknown application not signed by the developer, or that has been flagged as suspicious by Defender Antivirus.

However for home users and small businesses, it should not take a computer engineering degree to figure out how to get full access to your own files. Trying to do so in some cases can even produce errors that are quite inscrutable to the average person. They are so ugly that I would call them untrapped errors -- confusing, esoteric, and meaningless to the average person. Certainly there is no wizard to help you through trying to get full access to your own stuff, especially in quirky folders such as WindowsApps. (This "TrustedInstaller" user is able to do anything, but as for you -- yes even you, system administrator! -- good luck! Even getting read access can be a challenge!)

Resolving all of this is obviously way beyond my ability to do in this answer. However, solving the archive-download issue is easier. Just stop using the built-in unZIPper if you trust the download. Using the Windows ZIP extractor on downloaded software (especially if it doesn't come with its own installer) means that some software is going to choke when it runs, even though the files are all there.

In addition to 7-Zip, PeaZip, and NanaZip, other ZIP extractors that have some devotees include the stalwart WinRAR (whose lifetime license never expires), Zipware, ZipGenius (these two are non-open-source freeware), BandiZip (commercial), and WinZip, a onetime standard but which absurdly in my view now requires a yearly subscription fee, vendor behavior that I hope you do not encourage.

Once again, do not trust everything you download. I want to emphasize that regardless of what archiving utility you use, if you download malicious software to your computer, then you are on your own!