Enable or Disable ZIP CAB RAR Folder View in Explorer

Windows Explorer normally shows compressed folders (ZIP, CAB, and RAR) as single icons, but you can make them appear as regular folders so you can peek inside without extracting. This guide shows you how to turn that folder view on or off, using built-in Windows options and a small registry tweak for RAR files. No extra software is required for ZIP and CAB, but RAR support depends on having a compatible archiver installed.

What You’ll Need

• Windows 10 or Windows 11 (the steps are the same for both)
• Administrator rights on the computer (to change registry settings)
• For RAR files: a third-party archiver like WinRAR, 7-Zip, or NanaZip that registers a shell extension

Step-by-Step

Enable or Disable ZIP and CAB Folder View

1. Open File Explorer (press Win + E).
2. Click the View tab on the ribbon at the top of the window.
3. In the Show/hide group, check the box labeled File name extensions (optional but helpful to see which files are ZIP or CAB).
4. Click the Options button on the right side of the ribbon (it looks like a folder icon with a checkmark).
5. In the Folder Options dialog, switch to the View tab.
6. Scroll down the Advanced settings list and find Display the full path in the title bar – this is not the setting you need, keep scrolling.
7. Look for Launch folder windows in a separate process – again, not the one.
8. Find Show pop-up description for folder and desktop items – still not it.
9. Scroll until you see Show compressed (zipped) folders in Explorer. This is the master switch for ZIP and CAB folder view.
10. To enable folder view (so ZIP/CAB files open like folders), check the box. To disable it (so they open with the default archiver or show as a single file), uncheck the box.
11. Click Apply, then OK.
12. Restart File Explorer: right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager, find Windows Explorer in the list, right-click it, and choose Restart.

Enable or Disable RAR Folder View

RAR files are not handled by Windows natively, so the folder view depends on your archiver’s shell extension. Here’s how to control it for the most common ones.

For WinRAR

1. Open WinRAR from the Start menu.
2. Go to Options > Settings.
3. In the Integration tab, look for the Shell integration section.
4. Check or uncheck Enable shell integration – unchecking disables the folder view (and also removes right-click context menu entries).
5. If you only want to disable the folder view but keep context menus, uncheck Show icons in context menus and Show icons in Explorer – but note that the folder view itself is tied to the shell extension, so you may need to disable the whole integration.
6. Click OK and restart Explorer.

For 7-Zip / NanaZip

1. Open 7-Zip (or NanaZip) from the Start menu.
2. Go to Tools > Options.
3. In the System tab, you’ll see a list of file types with checkboxes.
4. Find RAR in the list. If it’s checked, 7-Zip registers itself as a handler for RAR files, which enables the folder view. Uncheck it to disable the folder view (Windows will then treat RAR as an unknown file type).
5. Click OK and restart Explorer.

Registry Tweak (Advanced – for ZIP/CAB only)

If the Folder Options setting doesn’t work, you can force it via the registry.

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Click Yes if prompted by UAC.
2. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
3. Look for a DWORD value named EnableCompressedFolderView. If it doesn’t exist, right-click in the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it EnableCompressedFolderView.
4. Set the value to 1 to enable folder view, or 0 to disable it.
5. Click OK and restart Explorer.

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting to restart Explorer – The change often doesn’t take effect until you restart File Explorer. Always do that step.
• Confusing the setting with “Hide extensions” – The checkbox is named “Show compressed (zipped) folders in Explorer,” not “Hide extensions.”
• Disabling the entire shell integration for RAR – If you uncheck “Enable shell integration” in WinRAR, you lose not only folder view but also right-click context menus and drag-and-drop extraction. If you only want to stop the folder view, try unchecking just the icon-related options first, or use a different archiver.
• Editing the wrong registry key – Make sure you’re in HKEY_CURRENT_USER, not HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. The per-user key is where Explorer settings live.
• Using the registry tweak for RAR – The EnableCompressedFolderView value only affects ZIP and CAB. RAR is controlled by third-party software.

Tips

• If you enable folder view for ZIP, you can still extract files by dragging them out of the folder window – no need to open the archiver.
• For RAR, if you want the folder view but also want to keep the context menu, install a lightweight shell extension like 7-Zip and check only the RAR box in its options. This gives you folder view without the extra WinRAR toolbar.
• If you work with large archives, folder view can be slower because Windows has to read the entire archive to list contents. Disable it for huge RAR files to avoid lag.
• You can also toggle folder view per-file by right-clicking a ZIP file and choosing Open with > Windows Explorer – that opens it as a folder regardless of the global setting.
• Keep the registry tweak as a last resort – the Folder Options checkbox is the intended way and is less error-prone.

Troubleshooting

• The checkbox doesn’t appear in Folder Options – This can happen if a group policy overrides it. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc (Pro/Enterprise only), and go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer. Look for “Do not show compressed folders in Explorer” and set it to Not Configured or Disabled.
• RAR files still show as folders after disabling – The archiver’s shell extension may be cached. Restart Explorer again, or log off and back on. If it persists, uninstall the archiver and reinstall it with the integration options you want.
• ZIP files don’t open as folders after enabling – Try the registry tweak. If that still doesn’t work, check that the file association for ZIP is set to Windows Explorer: right-click a ZIP file, choose Open with > Choose another app, select Windows Explorer, and check “Always use this app.”
• Folder view works but extraction is broken – This is normal. Folder view is read-only for some operations. Use the right-click context menu or drag-and-drop to extract files.
• Registry edit doesn’t take effect – Make sure you’re editing the correct key and that the value name is spelled exactly: EnableCompressedFolderView. Also, some Windows versions require a full restart, not just Explorer restart.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this work for RAR files without any third-party software?

No. Windows does not natively support RAR archives. You need an archiver like WinRAR, 7-Zip, or NanaZip installed to enable folder view for RAR files.

Will enabling folder view affect the integrity of the archive?

No. Viewing a ZIP or RAR file as a folder only reads the archive; it does not modify or extract anything. The archive remains intact.

Can I enable folder view for only some file types?

For ZIP and CAB, the setting is global – it applies to both. For RAR, you can often choose per-extension in your archiver’s options (e.g., check only RAR, not ZIP).

Why does my ZIP folder view show files but I can’t open them?

Some files inside archives (like executables) may be blocked by Windows SmartScreen or by the archive’s own permissions. Extract the file first, then open it.

Is the registry tweak safe?

Yes, if you follow the steps exactly. It only changes a single DWORD value in the current user’s Explorer settings. Always back up the registry before editing (right-click the key and select Export).

Does disabling folder view speed up Explorer?

Sometimes. When folder view is enabled, Explorer reads the archive’s central directory to display contents, which can be slow for large archives. Disabling it makes Explorer treat the file as a single object, which is faster.

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