# \[help\]\[about zip files\]-Is it possible to decompress zip files by double clicks zip files in DTP's database window?
**URL:** https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088
**Category:** DEVONthink
**Created:** [August 31, 2020, 3:09am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088 "2020-08-31T03:09:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Vibratingbrain](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Vibratingbrain)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2020, 3:09am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/1 "2020-08-31T03:09:57Z")
hello, there.
there is a preview when i double clicks zip files at moment, but the preview of zips did not provide with any useful information. can DTP decompress zips directly by using system default app?
---
### Author:  [@anon6914418](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/anon6914418)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2020, 4:18am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/2 "2020-08-31T04:18:04Z")
Could you explain what you’re trying to do with the ZIP archives? Are they permanently stored in your database?
Does this suggestion work for you?
> [@Smart Rule to unzip a file with password](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/smart-rule-to-unzip-a-file-with-password/57675):
>
> Hi there I usually receive some bank statements by mail, a PDF file in a password-protected-zip file, always the same password. Is there any easy way to unzip the file and add it to the right database using smartRules? I have checked the different possibilities but I have not found anything related to unzip other than using external scripts which is beyond my abilities by now. Any ideas?
---
### Author:  [@pete31](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/pete31)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2020, 4:22am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/3 "2020-08-31T04:22:04Z")
> [@Vibratingbrain](#):
>
> can DTP decompress zips directly by using system default app?
It’s not possible with imported zips, the default app is not listed in DEVONthink’s open with menu.
But it’s possible if you index a folder with the zip inside.
> [@Vibratingbrain](#):
>
> the preview of zips did not provide with any useful information
If you want more info in QuickLook you could try BetterZipQL ([GitHub - sindresorhus/quick-look-plugins: List of useful Quick Look plugins for developers](https://github.com/sindresorhus/quick-look-plugins)). Put it in `/Users/Username/Library/QuickLook/` (or in `/Library/QuickLook/` if you want to use it from other macOS accounts too). To access the hidden library folder press ⌥ in Finder’s go to menu.
---
### Author:  [@Vibratingbrain](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Vibratingbrain)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2020, 5:10am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/4 "2020-08-31T05:10:43Z")
Thanks for you answer. that is helpful more than i need. it seems the scripts are used. i just simply want to open zip files like we usually open a pdf, which mean when i double clicks the zip files, my default decompress app would automatically release the content to the same group .
---
### Author:  [@Vibratingbrain](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Vibratingbrain)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2020, 5:14am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/5 "2020-08-31T05:14:35Z")
Yep, actually, when i manually selected the decompress app in open with menu, the zip files can be done as i expected. but, it did not appear in DTP database, it just appear in my finder with a strange name folder like 1/2/3/a/e/.
---
### Author:  [@pete31](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/pete31)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2020, 5:51am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/6 "2020-08-31T05:51:04Z")
> [@Vibratingbrain](#):
>
> manually selected the decompress app
Do you mean that you’ve choosen the decompress app via “Other apps” in the open with menu? If so and if you did this with an imported zip then it was probably decompressed into the database package. Then it’s not visible in DEVONthink as the database doesn’t know about it.
---
### Author:  [@Vibratingbrain](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Vibratingbrain)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2020, 6:45am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/7 "2020-08-31T06:45:06Z")
sure what you said it did happen on me. so, could i be possible making the files visible in DT’s database? thanks.
---
### Author:  [@pete31](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/pete31)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2020, 6:56am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/8 "2020-08-31T06:56:14Z")
You could try `File > Verify & Repair` but I’m not sure if and where the files will be added to DEVONthink. Probably to the inbox. Let’s ask @BLUEFROG
---
### Author:  [@Vibratingbrain](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Vibratingbrain)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2020, 7:10am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/9 "2020-08-31T07:10:46Z")
wow. i am a new user, did not know there is such a powerful guru here.
---
### Author:  [@chrillek](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/chrillek)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2020, 10:57am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/10 "2020-08-31T10:57:06Z")
> [@Vibratingbrain](#):
>
> which mean when i double clicks the zip files, my default decompress app would automatically release the content to the same group
I doubt that that’s possible at all. A decompression app decompresses into a _folder_, it has no knowledge of DT’s groups. And AFAIK, DT’s groups are not represented as folders in the file system.
Just decompress the archive _before_ you import it in DT3, since the archive as such isn’t useful there anyway.
---
### Author:  [@Vibratingbrain](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Vibratingbrain)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2020, 1:25pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/11 "2020-08-31T13:25:13Z")
I agree with you at this point. Devonthink doesn’t want to replace Finder, but becoming a working area focusing on working staff without any kind of pre-work procedures.
---
### Author:  [@BLUEFROG](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/BLUEFROG)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2020, 1:54pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/12 "2020-08-31T13:54:16Z")
You decompressed the ZIP file where - in DEVONthink or the Finder?
---
### Author:  [@Vibratingbrain](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Vibratingbrain)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/13 "2020-08-31T15:56:44Z")
i did it in DEVONthink database view, sir
---
### Author:  [@BLUEFROG](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/BLUEFROG)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/14 "2020-08-31T17:50:29Z")
If you decompress a ZIP file while it’s in DEVONthink, it will incorrectly decompress into the internals of the database. These will be come orphaned files and create an inconsistency in the database. Do a **FIle \> Verify & Repair** on the database and it will create an **Orphaned** folder containing these files.
---
### Author:  [@Vibratingbrain](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Vibratingbrain)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2020, 6:04am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/15 "2020-09-01T06:04:33Z")
Thanks you guru. It really helps me finding the files created by wrong decompression. Will Devonthink add some features about decompression operations like “directly compress files via selected app” or “decompression archives in database view” in future ?
---
### Author:  [@chrillek](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/chrillek)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2020, 6:36am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/16 "2020-09-01T06:36:53Z")
Although @BLUEFROG should know more about it, I suppose that that’s extremely unlikely. As I said before, DT’s groups are not aligned with MacOS’s folders. Compression/Decompression programs work with folders, and they store the path of the files in the filesystem. when they compress.
As to your first scenario “directly compress files via selected app”: That would mean that the compression program would have to gather files from different locations in the file system and store them in the same archive. Certainly possibly. But when you _decompress_ this archive on another machine, it will recreate the same folders and subfolders in the current location there. Is this useful? I doubt it very much.
In the second scenario, DT would have to run a decompression program on an archive. That’s not a problem in itself, but where should the extracted files _go_? A decompression program (all decompression programs I’ve ever seen) writes the extracted files all in the same location, possibly creating subfolders as needed. In any reasonable setting, that means that the decompression programs would write the files to some location in the filesystem, _outside_ of DT. What’s the use of this? If you want to have the files _outside_ of DT, just decompress the archive instead of putting it into DT.
Thirdly, decompressing files _inside_ of DT is, I believe, simply not feasible. Because “inside” stands for a folder structure completely internal and under the control of DT. The decompression program knows nothing about it, it will simply decompress the files somewhere in your …/Database/… hierarchy. Which leads to the kind of problems you have already experienced.
What exactly is it that you want to achieve by compressing/decompressing files inside DT? If that’s something you think you need on a regular basis, you should maybe think about indexing files, not importing them. That way, they stay in the file system and you can work on them with whatever program you want without disturbing DT’s database structure.
---
### Author:  [@pete31](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/pete31)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2020, 9:11am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/17 "2020-09-01T09:11:28Z")
> [@Vibratingbrain](#):
>
> “decompression archives in database view”
It’s already possible
> [@pete31](#):
>
> if you index a folder with the zip inside.
If you really need this: Create a folder in Finder. Index it in DEVONthink. Move the zip to the indexed group (this will move it out of DEVONthink’s database package into the indexed Finder folder). Decompress, then use `Data > Move Into Database` to move the zip and its decompressed contents back into the database package.
---
### Author:  [@Vibratingbrain](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Vibratingbrain)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2020, 11:16am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/18 "2020-09-01T11:16:55Z")
Through reading the 2nd paragraph of your description, i totally can imagine the embarrassing situation that if i decompress in other operating system.
The rest of your comment has really helped me to reconsider the real problems DEVONthink tends to address.
Now i think the databases is should be a place i work with , which mean i have to focus on the content of those files that have benn stored in the databases rather than considering the forms files performed. You’ve really called my attention to that; since it, i would get rid of the decompression/compression things before putting them in DT.
By the way, meeting you guys at very first stage of using DT is my lucky thing.
---
### Author:  [@Vibratingbrain](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Vibratingbrain)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2020, 1:34pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/19 "2020-09-01T13:34:17Z")
Right bro. some bros like you mentioned “index” a folder. This way can not guarantee the integrality and mobility of my databases. But ive found the true meaning of DT. I will have done such thing before import to DT, i ought to focus on the content of my files, not forms. thanks bro, i’m so lucky meeting you.
---
### Author:  [@Vibratingbrain](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Vibratingbrain)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2020, 1:39pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088/20 "2020-09-01T13:39:03Z")
Thanks bro. I’ve learned not only skills but more thoughts from this topic via communicating with bros， include you. Could you help me close this topic.
[Next page](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/help-about-zip-files-is-it-possible-to-decompress-zip-files-by-double-clicks-zip-files-in-dtps-database-window/58088.md?page=2)