# Archives: Opens any format — See into any archive

> Opens virtually any archive file format on iOS devices. (iPhone/iPad app by MacPaw Way Ltd.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/archives-opens-any-format/id562790811 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [MacPaw Way Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/403752295)
- Category: Utilities
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.10/5 from 42 App Store ratings · 35 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 8.0 · 6 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2012-10-10
- Data updated: 2026-06-10
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/archives-opens-any-format/id562790811/reviews.md

## What is Archives?

Archives is an unarchiving app for your iPhone or iPad that can open pretty much any archive file in existence. It is based on the extremely popular macOS app "The Unarchiver".

It can open files that have been mailed to you, files you encounter on the web, or even files from your computer through iTunes file sharing. It lets you preview the files inside archives, such as text, images or music. If you have another app installed that can open a file, Archives can also use that app to open contained files.

As it is based on The Unarchiver, it can handle a large number of different archive formats: Common formats like Zip, RAR, 7-zip, Tar, Gzip and Bzip2, as well as older formats like StuffIt, DiskDoubler, LZH, ARJ and ARC. It can also handle other kinds of formats, like CD and DVD images such as ISO, BIN, MDF, NRG and CDI, many Windows self-extracting EXE files, and can even extract media from Flash SWF files and images from PDF files. See the Archives web page for a full list.

## Key features

- Opens numerous archive formats
- Supports disk image extraction
- Extracts media from SWF and PDF
- Preview files within archives
- Integrates with other apps

## Recent user reviews (10 of 35)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/archives-opens-any-format/id562790811/reviews.md

### 1/5 — aw man

*2025-10-07*

doesn’t work :(

### 1/5 — 2025 an update would be very nice

*2025-10-04*

We are in ios 26 and its been 6 years from last update

### 3/5 — Does the job but slightly buggy.

*2024-10-02, version 2.1.1*

It’s very clear that the application is no longer updated frequently due to the numerous graphical issues the application has. It’s a shame because the ‘unarchiver’ by the same company on Mac is really good.

### 5/5 — Please add dark mode!

*2023-11-26*

Please add dark mode!

### 2/5 — Lacks unarchiving functionality

*2023-05-11*

For an app called Unarchiver, it sure can’t unarchive anything. The functionality literally isn’t there. All you can do is preview the files in an archive, and I guess you can share individual files, but that’s useless if you have an archive to, you know, unarchive.

### 1/5 — Couldn’t open a bin file

*2022-03-04, version 2.1.1*

It says it opens bin files but wouldn’t work no matter how I tried.

### 5/5 — Simple, straightforward, no bloat

*2022-01-16*

This was made in the days where apps were written strictly for real use. No bloat, no adds, small footprint. Still comparable with the latest iOS. It’s a shame that developer kind of left it, but it really works, even for 7zip files.

I really wish this app gains traction for the defacto archiver, as everything else is out to gain your information, serve you ads, and hold your information hostage unless you pony up some money.

I hope the developer some day comes back and offers an updated version with the same utility and small footprint. I would definitely pony up some cash for something that is actually useful from todays bloated mess of an app marketplace.

### 1/5 — Ridiculous

*2019-10-03*

This app “works” in that I just used it to open and save the contents of a RAR archive on my iPad... but it works extremely poorly and not at all like The Unarchiver for macOS. Each file had to be previewed and then saved individually... dumb. I want to extract the archive all at once and save it all at once, which I’m pretty sure everyone wants. That’s how The Unarchiver works.

### 2/5 — Design

*2019-04-02, version 2.1.1*

Old design and have extra option(full screen and preview)is same. Change the place of info and show.add downloader url, zip the file,scan qr code,file transfer with wifi,open file from cloud service and rar opener and de rar it again

### 4/5 — Low on Features

*2019-01-09*

You can open an archive and individual files within it. However, you can’t:

* Extract all the files at once onto iCloud Drive or local storage
* Compress existing files into an archive, or recompress an archive in a different format
* Export the archive in any way other than by emailing it

It allows you to open an archive and extract single files. But opening an archive one file at a time manually is pretty terrible.

## Frequently asked questions about Archives

### What does the Archives app do?

Archives is an unarchiving application for iPhone and iPad that can open a wide variety of archive file formats. It allows you to extract files from archives received via email, found on the web, or transferred through iTunes file sharing.

### What archive formats does Archives support?

The app supports a comprehensive list of formats including common ones like Zip, RAR, 7-zip, Tar, and Gzip, as well as older formats like StuffIt and DiskDoubler. It also handles disk images (ISO, BIN) and can extract media from SWF and images from PDF files.

### Is Archives free to use?

Yes, Archives is a free application. Based on the provided information, there are no in-app purchases or advertisements mentioned, indicating it is a completely free utility.

### Can Archives open files from other apps?

Yes, Archives can preview files contained within archives. If you have another application installed that is capable of opening a specific file type, Archives can utilize that app to open the contained files.

### What are the main use cases for Archives?

The primary use case is to easily access the contents of compressed or archived files on your mobile device. This is useful for downloading files from the internet, opening attachments, or transferring files from a computer.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.1.1 — 2018-10-05

• Fixes to make Archives run smoothly on iOS 12.

### 2.1 — 2016-05-18

* Support for RAR version 5 archives.
* Handle opening archives with huge number of parts better.
* Bug fixes for zip64, NSIS, and Squeeze.

### 2.0 — 2015-11-13

* New look to better match modern iOS versions.
* Many other fixes for iOS 8 and 9.
* Full screen mode for previews.
* Better support for Zip, 7z, gzip and NSIS files.
* Bugfixes for pax and ARJ.
* Fixes for a few crashing bugs.

### 1.5 — 2013-09-24

* Updated visual design for iOS 7.
* Add support for PMA files.
* Better support for broken Zip files.
* Fix bugs in handling of NSIS and MSI files.

### 1.4 — 2013-07-14

* Added support for XIP files. 
* Fixed some crashes and unsupported files for RAR. 
* Better support for RAR Mac OS X SFX files. 
* Fixed crashes for certain CAB and PDF files. 
* Added support for comments in Amiga LhA files.

## Apps similar to Archives

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Zip Viewer - Unzip and Archive](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zip-viewer-unzip-and-archive/id603570331) | 4.3 (796) | Free | Utilities |
| [Archive Extractor: Unzip Files](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/archive-extractor-unzip-files/id1478494515) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Utilities |
| [ZIP - ZIP & RAR archive tool](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zip-zip-and-rar-archive-tool/id1457853410) | 1.0 (3) | Free | Utilities |
| [Zip And Rar File Extractor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zip-and-rar-file-extractor/id1625109578) | 4.7 (13) | Free | Utilities |
| [UnRAR - zip,rar,7z file opener](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unrar-ziprar7z-file-opener/id1439683799) | 4.6 (1,867) | Free | Utilities |
| [BestZip2-Unzip 7z&rar&zip etc.](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bestzip2-unzip-7z-and-rar-and-zip-etc/id1530502875) | 4.6 (5) | Free | Utilities |

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All apps by MacPaw Way Ltd: https://appshunter.io/developer/403752295

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*