1

Windows Explorer will automatically open .zip archives as a file folder. I'm making a custom file format for some data analysis that is nothing more than a zip archive of text files. However, I want to be able to keep track of them so I don't want the extension to be .zip.

Is there a way to make Windows Explorer open files with a custom extension ("file.experiment") as if it were a zipped folder?

P.S., I know I can do this with 7-zip right-click, or by changing the extension to .zip for the file I want to open. I would like explorer to just recognize that .experiment or whatever is a zip and just open it when I double click

Vince W.
  • 217
  • 2
  • 9
  • 1
    Possible duplicate of [Can you configure Windows to open JAR files like ZIP files without a 3rd party tool?](https://superuser.com/questions/121540/can-you-configure-windows-to-open-jar-files-like-zip-files-without-a-3rd-party-t) – gris_martin Oct 04 '19 at 11:10

1 Answers1

0

Create an example file, test.zip, and rename it test.example

right click that file and choose open with

Choose default program

find and select winrar or 7zip.

This should then open any files with the .example file format in 7zip or whatever program you choose.

The file format will have to be compatible though with the software you want to open it with, otherwise it won't recognize the file.

SPRBRN
  • 7,384
  • 14
  • 61
  • 90
Ryan
  • 931
  • 8
  • 16
  • Yes, this is what I am doing already using 7-zip. My hope was that I could do it with the windows explorer window. I selected "Open With" and then navigate to C:\Windows\explorer.exe. Before registering the extension to open with 7-zip, and trying to open with explorer, it just got into an infinite loop, with the "thinking circle" flashing over the mouse cursor. Now that I have registered 7-zip to open, when I select open with explorer.exe, it just opens with 7-zip instead. This works well, but for reason left unsaid, I wondered if it was possible to open in explorer.exe – Vince W. Jun 14 '16 at 16:51
  • Upon further reflection, this 7-zip method works 99% as smoothly as doing it through the windows explorer menu – Vince W. Jun 20 '16 at 17:37