Why Cannot Windows extract the zip file?

With the help of the file extractor that is built-in in Windows, you can extract these compressed files when you need them.

However, if you are having difficulty completing this extraction, you will learn some tips in this article that will help you resolve the issue. So, sit back and acquire some tech knowledge!

8 Tips to Fix Windows Cannot Complete the Extraction

Below are major tips and measures you can put in place to fix Windows cannot complete the extraction error:

Tip 1: Move the Zip File to Another Location

A possible reason why you are encountering the Windows cannot complete the extraction error, is that the zip file is located in a protected place. You can fix this by moving the zip file to a different location like a different profile folder. From the new location, try to extract the files once again and see if it works.

Tip 2: Reboot the Computer

Sometimes, all you just need is a simple reboot of your computer. To reboot your computer, follow these steps:

• Open "Start".

• Choose the power icon at the top (in Windows 8) or the bottom (Windows 10) of the screen

• Click on "Restart".

• Repair more than one file at a time.

• Repair corrupted videos with "Moov Atom Not Found Error" from different devices, like memory cards, SD cards, computer hard drives, cameras, etc..

Tip 3: Download a New Copy

You may discover that the file itself is a corrupt one. If this is the case, download the zip file in a new location. Then try to decompress or extract it again to check if the issue is fixed. If yes, then make use of your files. If this is not the case, try other tips.

Tip 4: Check if You Can Open Another Zip File

The location of your zip file on Windows Explorer may be corrupted. To know for sure if this is why your windows could not complete the extraction, try to extract another zip file in a different location on Windows Explorer. Try different locations and if you can completely extract the files, then it goes without saying that the issue is the zip file itself. You need to repair your zipped file and don't worry, Stellar File Repair Tool will be discussed as the last measure to fix corrupted zip files so hold on.

Tip 5: Run SFC and CHKDSK

A major reason why the "Windows cannot complete extraction" error may occur is the corruption of some of your system files. This is where the inbuilt Windows System File Checker (SFC) and CHKDSK come in. These tools can be used to scan for errors on your computer and have corrupted files replaced. Just do the following:

Go to Command Prompt by selecting "Windows" and "X" on your keyboard and then select "Command Prompt (Admin)

Type in the following in the search box: sfc /scannow
If it fails, try this: sfc /scannow /offbootdir=c:\ /offwindir=c : \windows

• Restart your PC.

• Go to Windows button, right-click and from the options, pick "Command Prompt (Admin)".

• Type "CHKDSK /f /r" in the cmd windows; press "Enter" on your keyboard.

• You will be asked to reschedule the scan to fit into the next reboot of your system. Respond by typing "Y", then hit the "Enter" key.

Tip 6: Perform Clean Boot

If your Windows cannot complete the extraction of zip files, it could be because of different software conflicts. You need to perform a clean boot of your system to start afresh and figure out what the culprit software are:

Hold down the "Windows" key, then press the "R" key consecutively. In the "Open" box under the "Run" dialog, type in "MSConfig" and press the "Enter" key.

The new window to open is "System Configuration". Here, uncheck the "Load startup items" box under "Selective Startup". The "Selective Startup" option is under the tab "General" at the top left of the window.

The third tab is "Services". Go to this tab check the "Hide all Microsoft services" tab and select "Disable all" to take effect on the other services.

Restart your computer

Tip 7: Fix The File Name(s) Would Be Too Long for the Destination

You can fix the error of "Windows cannot complete the extraction" by fixing the issue of "Filename(s) would be too long for the destination". That simply means that the destination file could not be created because the file name is too long. Rename the file with a shorter name and try extracting it again. This should work out for you if the cause of the error in your case is the file name is too long for the destination.

Tip 8: Use Alternative Software to Extract Files

Again, you can download another third-party software to use in extracting the files. There are several free software for extracting zip files online. The major ones include 7-zip, WinZip, WinRar, IZarc, PeaZip, etc.

Tip 9: Fix the Zipped File Corrupted with Professional Repair Tool

For a corrupted zip file, you can use a professional repair tool such as Stellar File Repair Tool to fix it. This tool focuses on the repair of four major file types: Zip, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

It is easy to use, no matter the file size you are working on. Stellar File Repair also extracts zip files after repairing them, even password-protected ones. Therefore, for zip files corrupted from errors, virus attacks, incomplete downloads, bad sectors, incompatible compression, etc., Stellar Repair will fix them.

These steps will help you fix your corrupted zipped files:

Step 1. Add Zip File:

Click on "Select Folder" or "Select File" if you know the exact location of the corrupted file. If not, click "Find Files" and Stellar Repair will search for the files for you

Step 2. Repair the Zip File:

The corrupted files that have been found after the scan will be displayed. Now click "Repair"

Step 3. Preview Repaired Zip File:

The file repair will take place in a few seconds, after which your repaired files will be displayed; preview them

Step 4. Save Repaired Zip File:

Now choose the files you want to recover click on "Save" and pick a location to save the files

The Bottom Line

You have been given all that you need to fix Windows cannot complete the extraction error, so what are you waiting for? Apply any of these tips and for sure, one of them will work for you. For those corrupted zip files, just load them up on Stellar File Repair Toolkit to get them fixed and extracted.

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