MacPacker README

The project's README from github.com/sarensw/MacPacker. As one markdown file: README.md.


MacPacker
MacPacker

The archive manager for macOS that should have existed all along.
Browse archives like folders, preview files without extracting, and drag out only the ones you need.

Total downloads Latest release downloads Latest release License: GPL-3.0 Platform: macOS 14.6+

Website · Install · Formats · Docs · Support · Contribute

MacPacker demo

MacPacker is a free and open source archive manager for macOS. It opens 40+ archive, disk image, and compression formats, lets you peek inside without extracting, drills into nested archives, and hands you exactly the files you want via drag & drop. Open source, because essential tools should be free. Inspired by 7-Zip, but built natively for the Mac.

Features

Supported Formats

MacPacker reads and extracts 40+ formats across archives, disk images, and compression containers. ZIP archives can also be edited and re-saved.

Category Formats
Archives 7z · ar · arj · cab · chm · cpio · deb · exe · lha · lzh · lzx · msi · pkg · rar · rpm · sea · sit · sitx · tar · xar · zip · zipx
Disk images dmg · fat · iso · ntfs · qcow2 · squashfs · vdi · vhd · vhdx · vmdk · wim
Compression bz2 · gz · lz4 · xz · z
Tarballs tar.gz (tgz) · tar.bz2 (tbz2) · tar.xz (txz) · tar.lz4 · tar.z (taz)

See the full format reference and per-format guides on the website.

Installation

Requirements: macOS 14.6 or later. (macOS 13 was supported through v0.14.1.)

Pick whichever you prefer — all builds are sandboxed, signed, and notarized by Apple.

Method How
Homebrew brew install --cask macpacker
Direct download Grab the .dmg or .zip from macpacker.app or GitHub Releases, then move the app to Applications.
Mac App Store Download on the App Store

[!NOTE] App Store releases land a few days after the GitHub and direct downloads, because every build goes through Apple's App Store review. For the newest version, use Homebrew or the direct download.

Support the Project

MacPacker is free and built in the open. If it saves you time, here are a few ways to give back:

Sponsor the work

Free ways to help

More apps by the maker

MacPacker is built by Stephan Arenswald. If you like it, take a look at the other apps:

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Please read CONTRIBUTING.md first.

[!IMPORTANT] Using AI to write code? Pull requests where AI is the primary author must follow the AI Contribution Guidelines: disclose AI involvement, open the PR from a human account, and include verification evidence (before/after screenshots for UI changes, terminal or test output otherwise). Minor AI-assisted edits where you're clearly the author don't need anything special.

Translation

Translations are managed on POEditor. To improve an existing language or add a new one, sign up and start editing:

https://poeditor.com/join/project/J2Qq2SUzYr

Pull Requests

MacPacker is still in early development and a few breaking changes are ahead, so pull requests may need rework or some wait time before they can be merged. Opening an issue first to discuss larger changes is appreciated.

Building from Source

Prerequisites

Steps

  1. Clone the repository (it uses submodules for vendored dependencies and test archives):

    git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/sarensw/MacPacker.git
cd MacPacker

    Already cloned without submodules? Run git submodule update --init --recursive.

  2. Open the project in Xcode:

    open MacPacker.xcodeproj

  3. Build and run — click Run or press Cmd + R.

  4. Use your own signing team (optional). If you have a different Apple Developer account, create a local override:

    cp Config/SigningOverride.xcconfig.template Config/SigningOverride.xcconfig

    Then edit Config/SigningOverride.xcconfig and set your Team ID (find it in Xcode under Settings → Accounts). This file is gitignored and never committed.

Roadmap

License

MacPacker is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.

MacPacker (sarensw/MacPacker)

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1.3K ·GitHub
MacPacker
What is this?MacPacker is a free, open source archive manager for macOS that lets you browse archives like folders, preview files without extracting, and drag out only the files you need. It's meant as a native 7-Zip replacement for the Mac.
Is this a Finder plugin or a standalone app?It's a standalone native macOS app (built with SwiftUI/AppKit) that also adds Finder right-click actions and Quick Look previews for archives.
What macOS version do I need?You need macOS 14.6 or later (macOS 13 support ended after v0.14.1); building from source additionally requires Xcode 16+.
Can I delete or create archives with it yet?Not yet — you can edit and re-save ZIP archives today, but deleting files/folders inside archives and creating new archives are still on the roadmap as upcoming features.
How many archive formats does it support?Over 40 formats across archives (7z, rar, zip, deb, msi, etc.), disk images (dmg, iso, vhd, qcow2, etc.), compression (bz2, gz, xz, lz4, z) and tarballs.
Can I open password-protected archives?Yes, MacPacker supports opening encrypted and password-protected archives.
Does it handle archives nested inside other archives?Yes, it can drill into nested archives seamlessly without creating intermediate extracted copies.
How does it detect archive formats?It uses smart detection based on each file's magic number rather than relying solely on the file extension, so renamed or mislabeled archives still open correctly.
What are similar projects?OpenYoink, FinderSearch, forel, BrewUI, finder-menu, tendedero, Ice, tinycast
Which topics is it in?zip, appstore, appkit, file-management, archive, sandboxing, file-manager, compression, keyboard, localization, swiftui, native
Creator
sarensw
Size
22.3 MB
Stars
1.3K
Updated
CommitOct 16Releasev1.0.0Oct 01
Age
3y
Commits · 90 Days