Basics
Getting Started
Open an archive, browse it, view single files and extract everything or just part of it.
Archydes shows the contents of an archive like a folder in the Finder. You can look inside, open single files or drag them out without extracting the whole archive. Before anything lands on your Mac, Archydes checks what’s in the archive.
Open an archive
There are several ways:
- In the Finder, right-click an archive and choose Open With › Archydes.
- Drag the archive onto the Archydes icon in the Dock.
- In Archydes, choose File › Open… (⌘O). File › Open Recent lists your recent archives.
Archydes reads ZIP, 7z, RAR, tar (including .tar.gz, .tar.xz, .tar.zst and .tar.bz2), ISO, CAB, LHA, deb and rpm, among others. To open a multi-part archive such as .part1.rar or .7z.001, open any of its parts.
Archydes reads large archives in the background. If it takes more than a moment, a progress window appears, where you can also cancel.
Browse an archive
Each archive gets its own window. Folders are on the left; on the right are the contents of the selected folder, with name, size, date and kind. Click a column heading to sort by it.
You move around just like in the Finder:
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Open a folder | Double-click, ↩ or ⌘↓ |
| Go up one level | ⌘↑ |
| Go to the top level | ⇧⌘↑ |
| Search in the archive | ⌘F |
The search finds names at every level of the archive, regardless of case and accents. The Location column shows which folder a match is in.
If an archive contains another archive, such as logs.tar.gz inside a ZIP, you open it like a folder. Press ⌘↑ to get back out.
View files without extracting
Select a file and press Space or ⌘Y. Quick Look shows it. Archydes extracts only that one file to a private folder.
Press ↩ or ⌘↓ to open a file in its default app. It opens as a read-only copy, and the archive stays unchanged.
Extract
- Extract everything: File › Extract All… or ⇧⌘E. The arrow button at the top of the window also extracts everything, as long as nothing is selected.
- Extract only part: Select files or folders and press ⌘E (File › Extract…), or click the arrow button.
- Drag out: Drag files and folders straight from the list to a Finder window or the desktop.
Archydes asks for the destination folder and starts in the archive’s folder. In Settings (⌘,), you can have it start in the last used folder instead.
Archydes tidies up on its own:
- If the archive has several items at the top level, they go into a folder named after the archive, so they don’t spill across your Downloads folder.
- Double folder levels such as
Project/Project/…become one.
You can turn off both in Settings.
If a file with the same name already exists at the destination, Archydes asks: Keep Both, Replace or Skip. Replaced files are moved to the Trash, so nothing is lost.
Password-protected archives
If an archive is encrypted, Archydes shows a lock next to the affected files. You’re asked for the password only when you view or extract something. For archives with encrypted file names, Archydes asks as soon as you open them. Archydes doesn’t store passwords.
What’s next?
- Safety check: What the colored bar above the file list means.
- Frequently asked questions: Finder menu, folder access, Archydes Pro.