Features
Finder Menu and Quick Look
Extract, check, test, convert and create archives with a right-click; press Space to look inside an archive.
Quick Look for archives
Select an archive in the Finder and press Space. Instead of just an icon, Quick Look shows:
- The name, compressed and extracted size, number of files, format, number of parts and whether it’s encrypted.
- For archives up to 50 MB, also Integrity: OK or the number of damaged files.
- Safety notes as in the safety check, such as disguised programs, scripts or macros.
- The contents as an indented list with size and date.
Quick Look is free and needs no setup. For archives with encrypted file names, Quick Look suggests opening the archive in Archydes.
Turn on the Finder menu
macOS turns on Finder extensions only with your consent. The FAQ explains how. After that, you’ll find the Archydes › item when you right-click.
Commands for archives
| Command | What happens |
|---|---|
| Extract Here | Extracts next to the archive. |
| Extract to Folder | Extracts into a folder named after the archive. |
| Open | Opens the archive in Archydes. |
| Inspect Security | Opens the archive with the safety report already showing. |
| Test Archive | Reads every file once, without an archive window, showing only progress. Result: OK or a list of damaged files. |
| Convert… | Opens the save dialog in the original’s folder. You choose the target format, goal, password and location; Archydes then shows the new archive in the Finder. This turns a RAR into a ZIP, or a large ZIP into a small 7z. |
Password prompts, safety warnings, questions about name conflicts and progress work just as when you extract in the app. A window opened only for this closes again after extracting successfully.
Commands for files and folders
On any files and folders, and also when you right-click the background of a Finder window:
- Create Archive (ZIP): compresses right away, using the Clean Share profile Windows.
- Open as New Archive in Archydes…: opens a compression window with the selection, where you can choose any format and options.
Folder access
To extract next to the archive, Archydes asks for access to the folder the first time. If you allow access to a folder above it, such as your home folder, the access covers everything in it. There’s more about this in the FAQ.
Menu security
The Finder extension only shows the menu and passes the command on to the app. If a command with file paths comes from somewhere else, such as a link on a website, Archydes asks before doing anything: The command did not come from Archydes’ Finder menu. Only allow it if you started it yourself.