Whenever we download a compressed file into ZIP or RAR files, we will have to open it with the compressed files management program, choose a folder where to extract the contents and finally proceed with the actual extraction. Even if the steps we have described are daily for those who work with this type of file, we can speed up the operation by using the quick extraction features provided by some free programs, so that we can proceed with the extraction using only the right button of the mouse. Let's see together which programs allow you to take advantage of the rapid extraction of ZIP and RAR files directly from the contextual menu of Windows, so as not to even have to open the main program.
READ ALSO: Programs to compress extract and open ZIP, RAR or other archives
How to speed up the extraction of ZIP and RAR files
Below we have collected the procedures to enable the rapid extraction of ZIP and RAR files on the most famous and used programs for the management of compressed archives on Windows, so that you can benefit from the rapid extraction on any computer and with any program.7-Zip
If we use the free and open source 7-Zip program for extracting compressed archives, we can enable rapid extraction by going to the Tools -> Options menu within the program and opening the 7-Zip tab with administrator permissions (just search for it in the Start menu, right-click on it and select More -> Run as administrator ).
From here we enable the two items Integra 7-Zip in the contextual menu of the shell and Integra 7-Zip in the contextual menu of the shell (32-bit), we disable the item Contextual menu in cascade and we enable only the items Extract here, Extract in and Add to the archive, deactivating any checked items. In this way we will be able to extract the compressed files simply by right-clicking on it and using the Extract here or Extract in items (where the folder name will be identical to the file name); all the contents will be extracted quickly in the same folder where the compressed file is present (usually the Downloads folder). If, on the other hand, we have to create new compressed files, simply use the Add to archive item, so as to immediately go to the configuration window without having to open the program each time.
WinRAR
The most famous program for extracting RAR, ZIP and other types of compressed files is definitely WinRAR, which offers a good integration in the contextual menu of Windows (even if it is not free, since it is only offered in trial). To configure the quick extraction from WinRAR, open the program from the Start menu and start it with administrator permissions (right click, More -> Run as administrator ), go to the Options -> Configuration path and finally open the Integration tab. From here we make sure that the items Integrate WinRAR in "Explorer" and Icons in the contextual menu are active then we click on the Items button in the contextual menu .
From here we disable the items in the Select items to display in the context menu section and leave the items Extract here, Extract in and Add to an archive active. After completing the configuration, click OK to make the changes effective.
Now we can quickly extract the ZIP and RAR files by right clicking on the compressed archive and using one of the two items that we have enabled; with the other item, on the other hand, we can quickly create a new compressed archive starting from a file or a folder, thus speeding up the procedure for creating new compressed files as well.
Bandizip
Another lesser known but equally effective program for extracting compressed archives is Bandizip, available for free on all Windows systems. If we have decided to focus on this software, we can enable quick extraction by opening Bandizip from the Windows Start menu with administration permissions and (right click, More -> Run as administrator ), going to the path Options -> Settings ( can also be called up with the F5 key) and by selecting Contextual Menu in the sidebar.
From here we can configure the rapid extraction by going to the Extraction Menu section, disabling any entries that are already active and leaving only the entries Extract in a folder with the name of the archive and Extract here . With this program we can further speed up the extraction process by configuring the Action section to be performed with a double click ; by setting the Extract item to a folder with the name of the archive, double-clicking on any compressed file is sufficient to immediately decompress the current folder, so that you do not even have to use the contextual menu.
If, on the other hand, we also want to speed up the creation of new compressed files, go to the Compression menu section and enable only the items Compress in "NomeFile.zip" and Compress in "NomeFile.7z" .
PeaZip
Another very useful program to manage ZIP and RAR compressed files is PeaZip, available for free for Windows. If we decided to focus on this program for the management of compressed archives but we want to enable quick extraction, we open PeaZip from the Windows Start menu with administration permissions (right click, More -> Run as administrator ), then let's go to the Options menu -> Settings -> General, then click on the item Configure system integration and associated file types . The program installer will appear, where we will have to activate the Custom installation and Application language -> IT entries .
Click on Next and, in the next window, disable the Cascaded Menu item and enable only the items Extract Here, Extract Here (in new folder) and Add to .ZIP . In the following screens we confirm on Next until the end of the wizard.
Now we can quickly extract ZIP and RAR files and create new compressed archives on the fly directly from the context menu of Windows.
Conclusions
If we are in a hurry and we don't have time to open too many programs on our computer, we can extract compressed archives very quickly with the procedures shown in this guide, so that whatever the program we are using for compressed archives we can extract their contents with one or two mouse clicks.If our compressed archive is protected by a password that we don't remember, we can remedy it by reading our guide on how to find or remove passwords from protected ZIP and RAR files . If, on the other hand, the compressed archive seems damaged, does not open or does not allow you to extract the files inside, we can solve it by reading our article on how to extract and recover files from damaged and corrupt ZIP and RAR files .
