# Make a ZIP clean without unpacking it

> Drop a ZIP or a folder, choose what to remove and see the plan before you download the clean copy.

Remove system junk, duplicate files, unsafe paths and links from a ZIP or a folder, then download a clean ZIP. Kept files are not recompressed. Free.

- Tool: [Clean ZIP file](https://fixmint.cc/clean-zip-file)
- Category: [Files & archives](https://fixmint.cc/files)
- Fixes: ZIP full of junk and copies
- Runs in the browser: files and text stay on the device, no sign-up, free.

## How to clean a ZIP file

1. Drop a ZIP file or a folder on the mat.
2. Tick what to remove and read the list of removed files and why.
3. Download the clean ZIP when the plan looks right.

## Questions

### What counts as junk?

Files that Macs, Windows and Git create by themselves: __MACOSX folders, .DS_Store, Thumbs.db, desktop.ini, ._ files and similar. They are only removed when the junk option is on.

### Are the kept files changed?

For a ZIP, kept files are copied byte for byte without unpacking, so their contents are the same. Folder names only change when the single top folder is removed.

### Why is my ZIP not made?

A locked (password-protected) file cannot be read, so the tool stops rather than drop it quietly. Remove the password first with the program that made the ZIP.

## Related tools

- [ZIP viewer](https://fixmint.cc/zip-viewer): What is inside this ZIP?
- [Batch rename files](https://fixmint.cc/batch-rename-files): Hundreds of files to rename
- [Find duplicate files](https://fixmint.cc/find-duplicate-files): Same files saved twice