Help & Documentation

Step-by-step instructions for extracting archives, handling passwords, previewing files, and configuring external tools.

Quick Start

Open DecompressX.
Add files or folders that contain archives.
Choose an output folder.
Click Expand Archives to discover archive files.
Click Run Extraction.

Main extraction queue screen — Main queue workflow: add inputs, expand archives, and run extraction.

Use Case 1: Batch Extract Many Archives

Best for folders that contain a large number of ZIP, RAR, and 7Z files.

Add one or more source folders.
Enable recursive discovery if archives are in subfolders.
Pick your destination folder.
Click Expand Archives, then Run Extraction.
Review the recent runs panel for results.

Tip: Keep a password list in the vault so encrypted archives can be tried automatically.

Use Case 2: Preview a Password-Protected Archive

Select an archive in the queue and open Archive Preview.
Enter the password in the preview password field.
Click Reload (or press Enter in the password box).
Browse folders/files in the left pane and select an item to preview.

✓ Expected status: entries load and preview becomes available.

⚠ If entries do not load, verify password and click Reload again.

Archive preview window — Archive Preview: password entry, status line, file browser, and preview pane.

Use Case 3: Extract a Single File from Preview

Open Archive Preview for your archive.
Select a file entry (not a folder).
Click Extract Selected File.
Choose destination folder if prompted.
Confirm extracted file path in the preview status message.

Image preview and file extraction — Preview and extract individual files from archives.

Use Case 4: Configure External Tools

Configure 7-Zip, UnRAR, bsdtar, and ffmpeg for optimal performance.

Open Tools > Settings.
Set or browse executable paths for each tool.
Save settings and retry preview or extraction.

When to set tool paths manually

Tool is installed in a non-standard location.
You want to force a specific 7-Zip or ffmpeg version.
Auto-detection cannot find a required executable.

Recommended checks

Path points to an executable file.
No typo in folder name or extension.
Restart app after changing paths, if needed.

Settings and tool configuration — Application interface for managing files and configurations.

Troubleshooting

Preview shows no entries

Confirm archive password and click Reload.
Check that the archive is valid by opening it in 7-Zip directly.
Verify 7-Zip path in Settings.

Video preview unavailable

Set ffmpeg path in Settings.
Use Open in VLC for unsupported inline formats.

Extraction fails

Check destination folder write permissions.
Try a different backend (7-Zip, UnRAR, bsdtar).
Retry selected archives only to isolate failures.