ZIP is a convenient compression format that can hold a large amount of valuable data in a relatively small file size. For added protection, ZIP files are often password-protected to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data. This is a good practice because you don't know who may have access to such files, especially if they're stored on network drives that are regularly accessed by people with different privilege levels.
But what happens when you forget the password despite being an authorized user? It's very likely that a password is forgotten or misplaced, and there aren't really any options to recover it easily. Fortunately, over the last few years a lot of tools have been developed to address this issue. Many of these password crackers, as they are also called, are available to download from the Internet. Let's look at some of the top ZIP password recovery tools on the market.
Method 1: Unlock ZIP Password by Zip Password Cracker Pro
This software offers an easy-to-use interface like most other password recovery and unlock utilities. It's relatively reliable, and uses a powerful method to crack the file's password. Over the years there have been several versions of this software, but the one we've found to be really effective was version 1.4f, a freeware utility that you can download from the web. It also supports most recent versions of Windows, including Win10.
When downloading this software, make sure that you're on a secure site, and that the version of the software has been tested and verified by the platform offering the download. Freeware download platforms are rife with malware, so be careful on that front.
Method 2: How to Unlock ZIP File by PassMoz Password Recovery Tool
If you want something that's reliable, easy-to-use, fast and offers several additional features, then PassMoz Zip Password Recovery is what you're after. It is also the only software we're aware of that offers patent-pending GPU acceleration with NVIDIA hardware.
The features are quite robust because it supports password recovery for a number of file compression formats such as ZIP, WinZIP and 7ZIP archive files. It also uses three powerful attack types to recover your password quickly. Also, the other software utilities mentioned above don't all have flawless recovery rates, but PassMoz recovery rate is over 90%. That means no matter how complex or long the password, this program gets a high chance to recover the password for you.
One of the best features we've seen with this software is quite unique. You can actually save the recovery process and resume it at a later time. Since you have the option of hardware acceleration, in case you need your machine for an urgent job, you won't have to restart the process all over again as with most other recovery software.
Step 1 Install and Open Password Recovery Tool
First, go to the official site and download the software. Launch the software and click the icon under "Select a file". Then open the file explorer to select the target file.
Step 2 Choose Password Unlocking Mode
Brute-force Attack : This takes a little longer, but is essentially a powerful approach if you don't have any idea of what the password might be.
Mask Attack : Use this if you remember a part of your password or some of its attributes, such as length or casing.
Dictionary Attack : If you have a dictionary file, you can use this method of attack.
Combination Attack : This one uses various combinations of all printable characters to recover your password, and it does so automatically.
Step 3 Make Proper Settings
Once you've selected the attack method, input whatever parameters you can remember about the password into the various fields that you see in the different tabs on the interface. The more you can remember, the faster the process will be executed. At this point, you can also choose to use CPU and GPU acceleration to add resources and speed up the process, but if your password is relatively simple then it may not be required. On the auto-save tab, you can choose how often the process needs to be saved in case you want to stop and resume later on.
Step 4 Start Unlocking ZIP File Password
Once all the parameters have been set, you are now ready to start the attack and recovery process. Simply click on the large "Recover" icon to start the task.
After the process is complete, you'll see a new notification, indicating the password is successfully recovered. Then you can copy the password to unlock the protected ZIP archive.
Method 3: How to Unlock ZIP File Online for Free
Another possible ZIP password unlocking option is online password cracking service. This is an useful and free tool to crack your ZIP file password. Online servcie always comes with powerful computing resources to makes use of distributed virtual private servers across different locations. One of the key features is that it doesn't show you"wrong" matches for your password like many other tools do.
The interface is a straightforward. Go to one of official pages and you will see an upload button to add local zip file to their backend server. After that, you have to leave a contact email to receive the password if the service was able to find it. In most cases, you need to pay for a few bucks to finally get the correct password. However, the success rate is really according to my test with 20+ different password combinations.
Summary
These three methods should easily and safely allow you to recover any ZIP file password that you've forgotten. However, the actual time spent on the task varies. The simpler the password is, the less time it takes. So it is recommended starting the task at night so it won't affect the current usage of the computer. And you don't need to wait for the result when it is running.
