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ZMakeMyZip
job card · 7 of 19 · unpack

Repair Corrupted ZIP.

Scan a damaged ZIP, skip broken entries, and rebuild a clean archive from whatever could be decoded.

routeclient-local
upload0 B
formatsZIP

1. Select a damaged ZIP

Drop a broken ZIP file here or click to browse

Select a file

Up to 2 GB per file.

How to use Repair Corrupted ZIP

A ZIP archive has two parallel sources of information: each entry has a local header right before its compressed data, and at the very end of the file there is a central directory that lists every entry. If the central directory is truncated, overwritten, or damaged in transit, standard unzip tools bail out even though most of the file data is still perfectly readable. This tool exists to pull those intact entries back out.

Drop the broken .ziponto the dropzone. The tool first tries a normal decode with CRC checks disabled, which is enough to rescue most "incomplete download" or "bad CRC" cases. If that still cannot find a valid central directory, it falls back to a byte-level scan for local file header signatures (PK\x03\x04) and reconstructs entries one at a time using the sizes and filenames it finds inline.

Every recovered entry is written into a fresh ZIP that is built from scratch with a correct central directory. Broken entries — those whose compressed data could not be inflated, or whose sizes are not in the local header because the archive was created in streaming mode — are listed separately so you can see exactly what was left behind. The original file on your disk is never modified; the repaired copy downloads as yourname-repaired.zip.

No file ever leaves your machine. The damaged archive is read into the tab, scanned with plain JavaScript and the browser's built-in DEFLATE decoder, and the rebuilt ZIP is handed back to you as a download. Archives that were created in streaming mode (where each entry's size lives in a separate data descriptor) or that use zip64 extensions for files larger than 4 GB may partially recover; everything else usually comes through cleanly.

instructions · step by step

How to use this tool

Recover readable entries from a damaged ZIP archive and rebuild a clean copy in your browser.

  1. Open the Repair Corrupted ZIP tool

    Visit makemyzip.com/repair-zip. The damaged archive is scanned locally — nothing is uploaded.

  2. Drop the broken ZIP

    Drag the .zip onto the dropzone or click to pick it. The file is read into the browser tab for inspection.

  3. Choose a repair mode

    Skip CRC checks is on by default so entries with tampered checksums are accepted. Pick an output compression level for the repacked archive.

  4. Run the repair

    The tool first tries a lenient decode of the central directory. If that fails, it falls back to a byte-level scan for local file header signatures and recovers entries one by one.

  5. Download the repaired archive

    Recovered entries are packed into a fresh ZIP with a correct central directory. Broken entries are listed separately so you know what was left behind.

questions · from the clerk's desk

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of corruption can be repaired?

The common ones: truncated or overwritten central directories, bad CRC checksums on otherwise-intact entries, and partial downloads where the end of the file is missing. The tool also rescues entries from archives whose central directory is completely gone by scanning for local file headers directly.

What kinds of corruption cannot be repaired?

Entries whose compressed data is itself garbled may fail to decompress and will be listed as unreadable. Archives created in streaming mode (where per-entry sizes live in a data descriptor after the data) and zip64 archives over 4 GB may partially recover. AES-encrypted entries cannot be repaired here; decrypt first with Unlock ZIP.

Is the original ZIP modified?

No. The original file on your disk is never touched. The repair is performed on a copy read into browser memory, and the result downloads as a separate ZIP whose name ends with -repaired.

Is my archive uploaded?

No. The damaged archive and the repaired copy both live entirely in your browser tab. The repair uses plain JavaScript plus the browser’s built-in DEFLATE decoder.

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