ZIP is a method of storing a large volume of data in an efficient manner. It conveniently saves files and consumes very little space.
At a certain point of time, you may get an error message like ‘the compressed (zipped) folder is invalid’. It mainly occurs when you download a .zip file from the internet and open the same.
There are many reasons that lead to show this error message and it can be resolved.
The Compressed (Zipped) Folder Is Invalid – Solved
Before solving the issue, you must know the reasons so that it won’t occur repeatedly. Let’s check out a few of them here-
- If zipped files contain malware or any other infected files, it will show this message
- If MS Office files come with medium to high-security settings, this message can occur
- The slow rate of download can also lead to errors like zip folder is invalid
- Error occurs if there’s a problem with compressor tool
- If the downloaded file is originally corrupted, it will show error
Once you get this message, you are inaccessible to extract the files. And, you need a solution to recover the data and other contents. To make it work, you have to repair the corrupted file.
How To Repair Corrupted Or Invalid Zipped Files/Folders?
Method 1: Change The Settings
A few changes in the settings can do your job. Follow this step-by-step method-
- Click on ‘Start’
- Go to ‘Control Panel’
- Select ‘Folder Options’
- Go to ‘File Types Tab’
- Find ‘ZIP files’
- Click on ‘Advanced’
- Select ‘Confirm’
Once done, you have to re-download the ZIP file and try to open it again. It may solve the issue.
If you still get the message of ‘Windows compressed folder is invalid or corrupted’, continue the read to know another way.
Method 2: Download Third Party Compressed-File Repair Tool
There are several repairing tools available online that scans the error and recovers the file. At first, you have to download and install it on the PC.
For example- DiskInternals ZIP Repair, Object Fix Zip, WinRAR and ALZip. These applications are free to download and can do successful restoration of corrupted zipped files.
Step-By-Step Method
- Download and install it from its official link
- Open the repairing tool
- Select the file or folder you want to repair
- Click ‘Next’ to proceed
Once done, you can find the repaired file in the respective folder.
Depending on the choice of the repairing tool, the files may or may not be extracted to the destination. So, you have to do it manually.
Alternatively, you can also try converting the Zip file to a different compression format and then decompressing it.
Bottom Line
Finally, you get to know how to get rid of error messages such as ‘the compressed (zipped) folder is invalid’.
The success rate of getting your corrupted files depends on the extent of the damage. If it is highly infected, there’s a possibility that it won’t be repaired.
However, the above steps will come handy to unzip or extract your downloaded files. For any suggestion, you are free to comment on the below box.
This is a bit late but I was transferring files from a computer onto a laptop when I had to get the computer repaired. I placed important files into a zipped folder on the laptop to transfer back later. The repair was complete and as I was putting the files back on the USB there was an error and it closed. It wont let me open the zipped folder again. Nothing on there would have a virus on it, but it’s important pictures and financial information that I need. Is there a way to fix my problem without losing the things in the folder? I can’t redownload it since I created the folder using my own personal files and I already tried using Wnzip and 7-zip or whatever they’re called. Thank you.
Repairing by using WinRAR worked for me. Thank you very much.
Just use 7zip, worked for me