Windows supports file compression via the ZIP format. While it is a very useful feature if you are already using some third-party compression utility, some may want to disable Windows built-in Zip support and let the external zip program be associated with the zip file format. In this post let us see how to disable this Windows built-in ZIP or CAB functionality.
Disable built-in ZIP or CAB support in Windows 11/10
To disable Windows built-in Zip support in Windows 11/10, you will need to open regedit and delete the following two registry keys:
To disable support for zip files delete this key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{E88DCCE0-B7B3-11d1-A9F0-00AA0060FA31}
To disable support for cab files delete this key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{0CD7A5C0-9F37-11CE-AE65-08002B2E1262}
The Windows Registry may prevent you from deleting these keys easily.
You may need to take ownership of these registry keys. I suggest you use our RegOwnIt to do so easily – but create a system restore point before you use it.
If you have another zip or file compression software installed, you may want to consider disabling this built-in zip support, to save some resources.
Goes without saying – create a system restore point first!
Trivia:
In Windows XP, this solution worked. All you needed to do was to unregister a dll file. Open the Run box, type the following and hit Enter:
regsvr32 /u %windir%\system32\zipfldr.dll
regsvr32 %windir%\system32\zipfldr.dll
This may not work in Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista, as unregistering of that particular dll file is unsupported in these later operating systems. If you try it, you will receive an error message.
