Are ZIP or RAR extracted files not showing up in the destination folder? This guide on MiniTool covers possible reasons and walks you through simple steps to fix the issue and recover your missing files using reliable recovery methods.
Phenomenon: When I Extract Files the Folder Is Empty on Windows 10/11
ZIP or RAR compressed files are very commonly used to reduce file size, facilitate storage and transfer, etc. Extracting compressed files by unzipping them is a common way to access and edit compressed file contents.
Normally, files appear in the destination folder immediately after extracting them. However, some users encounter a strange problem – the extracted ZIP folder is empty and the required files are not found. Here is an example:
I’m running Windows 10 Pro, and any attempt to extract ZIP files, results in an empty folder with no files extracted. The next time I try to unzip it doesn’t work and I have to restart again. This issue progressed from attempting to extract files crashing Windows Explorer and I would have to extract a second time for it to work.answers.microsoft.com
Where Do Extracted Files Go
By default, files extracted from compressed archives such as ZIP or RAR are saved in the same location as the original archive. Typically, the extraction program creates a new folder within that directory, often named the same as the compressed file itself.
For example, if you extract a ZIP file named test.zip on your desktop, a new folder called test will be created on your desktop, containing the extracted files.
If you have chosen a custom destination folder before the extraction, the files will be saved in the selected location instead.
Why Is RAR/ZIP Folder Empty After Extracting
If extracted files disappear after unzipping, you may wonder why this happens. Listed below are some common reasons.
- The files are extracted to a location different from what you expected, so you cannot find them.
- The files are hidden because they are considered system files or due to incorrect folder settings.
- Antivirus software detects the extracted files as threats and either quarantines or deletes them.
- There are issues with folder options affecting file visibility.
- Some essential system files are missing or corrupted, causing bugs.
- The compressed file itself is damaged or incomplete.
- The file extraction tool has bugs and fails to extract files properly.
- File Explorer has refresh issues, causing the extracted files not to appear correctly.
- …
How to Fix Extracted Files Not Showing Up in Folder
Faced with the extracted files not showing up issue, you can first try some preliminary troubleshooting steps and check if they help. If not, you need to try some advanced solutions.
General Troubleshooting Tips
Temporary system glitches can interfere with the extraction process or prevent extracted files from displaying properly. In this case, you can try restarting your computer first and then extracting the compressed file again. If the problem continues, you may consider using a different file extraction tool to see if that resolves the issue.
If you cannot find the extracted files, do not just check the folder you expected. You can try searching your whole computer for the target files. In File Explorer, go to the This PC section and use the search box to locate your files.
If all of these methods fail to fix the issue, you can start trying the following solutions.
Fix 1. Show Hidden Files
As mentioned above, sometimes the extracted files are not actually lost but are just hidden due to system settings. To ensure that they are displayed properly, you need to enable the option to show hidden files.
In File Explorer, go to the View tab, and then tick the option of Hidden items. Then all the hidden files will be displayed.
Alternatively, you can use the Command Prompt tool to clear the hidden attributes of your files.
Type cmd in the Windows search bar, right-click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator. In the new window, type attrib -h -r -s /s /d drive letter:\*.* and press Enter. You need to replace the “drive letter” section with the actual drive letter where you want to show hidden files.
Fix 2. Change Folder Options
Some system bugs may cause the explorer.exe process to refresh abnormally, which can result in issues such as extracted ZIP folders appearing empty. In such cases, enabling the “Launch folder windows in a separate process” option may help fix it by improving system stability. Follow the steps below.
Step 1. Open File Explorer, go to the View tab and click Options.
Step 2. Switch to the View tab, and scroll down to tick the Launch folder windows in a separate process option.
Step 3. Click Apply > OK to save this change.
Fix 3. Recreate a User Profile
The user profile stores important information such as personal file paths and specific settings. If the profile becomes corrupted or damaged, it may cause File Explorer to behave abnormally. In such cases, extracted files may not show up as expected.
Under this situation, you can recreate the user profile to clear corrupted cache files, fix profile-related issues, and restore the normal functionality of File Explorer.
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How to create a new profile:
Step 1. Press the Windows + R key combination, type netplwiz in the text box, and press Enter.
Step 2. In the User Accounts window, click Add.
Step 3. Now you can enter the account information for the new user to sign in. Next, follow the on-screen instructions to finish setting up the account.
Once the user profile is created, you can copy and paste the files from the old account to the new one and remove the old account.
Fix 4. Run DISM and SFC Scans
Sometimes, the problem of extracted files not showing up is caused by system file corruption. Luckily, Windows comes with built-in tools – DISM and SFC to scan all protected system files and replace corrupted files with a cached copy. Follow the steps below to run these tools.
Step 1. Run Command Prompt as an administrator.
Step 2. Input DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth and press Enter.
Step 3. Next, execute this command line: sfc /scannow.
Fix 5. Check Antivirus Quarantined Items Folder
Antivirus programs are designed to protect your system from being attacked by malware or viruses, but they may falsely identify extracted files as suspicious threats and quarantine them. You can open the Quarantined Items folder to check whether the wanted files are there. If yes, you can recover them.
Here I take Windows Defender for example to show you how to restore files from the Quarantined Items folder.
Step 1. Right-click Start and choose Settings to open it.
Step 2. Navigate to Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
Step 3. Click Protection history.
Step 4. In the All Recent Items section, expand the drop-down menu and choose Quarantined Items. Now you can check if the extracted files are there. If so, you can restore them.
Fix 6. Use Data Recovery Software to Recover Files/Folders
If you cannot find the extracted files or even the original compressed file, it is possible that the files were accidentally deleted or lost during the extraction process. In such cases, using professional data recovery software can help you retrieve both the lost compressed file and the extracted contents.
Here MiniTool Power Data Recovery is highly recommended for its powerful recovery capabilities and user-friendly design. It supports the recovery of all types of files, including documents, videos, photos, audio files, emails, and more.
In terms of storage media, it works great on SSD data recovery, HDD file recovery, USB drive recovery, SD card recovery, and more. Besides, since it has an intuitive interface, you can easily recover your lost files in just a few clicks.
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Step 1. On the main interface of MiniTool Power Data Recovery, select the disk partition or file location where the lost extracted or compressed files should exist, and click Scan. The software will start to scan for all existing files and lost files that are not overwritten.
During the scanning process, found files will appear gradually, and the estimated remaining scan time will be displayed. Interrupting the scan prematurely may result in incomplete recovery or missed files. So, it is recommended to let the scan complete automatically for the best recovery results.
Step 2. Once the scan is completed, how difficult it is to locate the files you want depends on how many files were found and whether their original file names were lost due to file system corruption or other issues.
Fortunately, you can use the following features to make the file discovery process much easier and more accurate.
- Path: This view shows the original folder paths where the recovered files were stored. It helps you locate files based on familiar directory structures.
- Type: This view categorizes the recovered files by data type, such as documents, pictures, videos, and more. So, if you want to recover a specific file type, you can focus on it.
- Filter: When faced with thousands of scan results, you can use this feature to narrow down the file list according to file type, file modification date, file size, and file category.
- Search: If you remember what the file you want is called, even just part of it, you can type the keyword in the search box and press Enter to locate it.
- Preview: This feature lets you view the file content before recovery, and is useful for images, documents, videos, audio, and some other types. Most file types can be previewed without restrictions while some files need to be no more than 100 MB.
Step 3. Tick the checkboxes next to the files you want to recover, and then click Save. Next, a new window will appear, prompting you to select a directory to store the recovered files. Select one as it told you and click OK to start.
Wrapping Things Up
What can you do if your extracted files are not showing up in the folder? You can fix it by changing folder settings or troubleshooting system or software issues. If the compressed folders and extracted files are all missing, you need to use data recovery software to recover them.
If you have any problems when using MiniTool products, please contact the tech support team via [email protected].
Extracted Files Not Showing Up FAQ
1. Some programs cannot access the compressed files directly.
2. Extracting files before editing them helps preserve the original compressed file untouched. If anything goes wrong during editing or saving, you can always return to the original archive as a backup.
However, if the file is not in the Recycle Bin, perhaps the Recycle Bin was emptied, you need to use professional data recovery software like MiniTool Power Data Recovery to retrieve it.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Shirley graduated from English major and is currently an editor of MiniTool Team. She likes browsing and writing IT-related articles, and is committed to becoming a professional IT problem solver. The topic of her articles are generally about data recovery, data backup, and computer disk management, as well as other IT issues. In spare time, she likes watching movies, hiking and fishing.
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