Formats
Archive formats Madghoot opens and creates
Updated
Key facts
- Opens
- RAR4, RAR5 and RAR7, 7Z, ZIP and Zip64, the TAR family, GZ, BZ2, XZ, ZST, LZ4, ISO, UDF, CPIO, CAB, LZH, XAR, ARJ, WIM
- Creates
- ZIP, 7Z, TAR (plain, .gz, .bz2, .xz, .zst, .lz4), single-file GZ, BZ2, XZ and ZST, ISO, CPIO
- Encryption
- AES-256 for ZIP and 7Z, with optional encrypted 7Z file names
- Doesn't create
- RAR archives, or split archives (planned for 1.1)
- Engines
- libarchive and the official 7-Zip engine (7zz)
The full format table
“Open & extract” includes browsing an archive, previewing its files and extracting some or all of them. The engine column shows which bundled engine does the work: libarchive handles most formats, and the official 7-Zip engine (7zz) takes over for encrypted archives, multi-part sets and other special cases. You don't choose; Madghoot switches automatically and notes the engine in the job report.
| Format | Open & extract | Create | Engine | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
ZIP (store, deflate, bzip2, lzma, xz, zstd), Zip64 .zip | Yes | Yes | libarchive | Switches to Zip64 automatically when needed, so it never writes a “classic” zip over 4 GB. |
ZIP with AES-128/256 or ZipCrypto .zip | Yes | Yes | libarchive | AES-256 by default. ZipCrypto only as the labeled “Compatible (weak)” option. |
ZIP Deflate64 (made by Windows Explorer above 2 GB) .zip | Yes | Not applicable | 7-Zip engine (7zz) | Opened with the bundled 7-Zip engine. |
Split ZIP (.z01 … .zip, .zip.001) .z01.zip.001 | Yes | Planned for 1.1 | 7-Zip engine (7zz) | Opening split sets is in 1.0. Creating them is planned for 1.1. |
RAR4 / RAR5 (unencrypted, dictionary up to 64 MB) .rar | Yes | No | libarchive | |
RAR encrypted, header-encrypted, large-dictionary, RAR7 .rar | Yes | No | 7-Zip engine (7zz) | Password-protected RAR (including encrypted file names), dictionaries over 64 MB and RAR7, opened with the bundled 7-Zip engine. |
RAR multi-part (.partN.rar, .rar + .r00) .part1.rar.r00 | Yes | No | 7-Zip engine (7zz) | Madghoot asks once for access to the folder so it can find the other parts. |
7z (LZMA, LZMA2, PPMd, BZip2, Deflate, ZSTD, BCJ filters) .7z | Yes | Yes (unencrypted) | libarchive | |
7z AES-256 (with encrypted file names) .7z | Yes | Yes | 7-Zip engine (7zz) | Tick “Encrypt file names” and nobody can even list the files without the password. |
7z multi-volume (.7z.001) .7z.001 | Yes | Planned for 1.1 | 7-Zip engine (7zz) | Opening split 7z sets is in 1.0. Creating them is planned for 1.1. |
tar, tar.gz / tgz, tar.bz2 / tbz2, tar.xz / txz, tar.zst, tar.lz4 .tar.tar.gz.tgz.tar.bz2.tbz2.tar.xz.txz.tar.zst.tar.lz4 | Yes | Yes | libarchive | |
gz, bz2, xz, zst, lz4 (single file) .gz.bz2.xz.zst.lz4 | Yes | Yes | libarchive | These compress one file, so creating them works when exactly one file is selected. |
ISO 9660 (with Joliet and Rock Ridge), UDF .iso | Yes | Yes (ISO 9660 + Joliet) | libarchive + 7-Zip engine (7zz) Create: libarchive | |
CPIO .cpio | Yes | Yes | libarchive | |
cab, lzh / lha, xar / pkg, arj, wim .cab.lzh.lha.xar.pkg.arj.wim | Yes | No | libarchive + 7-Zip engine (7zz) | Read only. |
exe, dmg, pkg as an installer, sit / sitx, ace .exe.dmg.pkg.sit.sitx.ace | No | No | — | Not opened. Madghoot explains in plain language what the file is instead of showing an error. |
Files Madghoot doesn't open, and what it tells you
Some files look like archives but aren't, and a few old formats have no legal, maintained decoder. Instead of a cryptic error, Madghoot explains what you have:
| File | What Madghoot says |
|---|---|
.exe, .msi | “This is a Windows program, not an archive. It can't run on a Mac.” |
.dmg | “This is a disk image. Double-click it in Finder to open it.” |
.pkg (installer) | “This is an installer. Double-click it in Finder.” |
.sit, .sitx, .ace | “Madghoot can't open this legacy format.” |
Mount a .dmg by double-clicking it in Finder, and run a .pkg installer the same way.
Madghoot can still list what's inside a .pkg if you want to look.
Why Madghoot can't create RAR files
Madghoot opens RAR files but can't create them: RAR compression is proprietary, and the license of the RAR decoder forbids using it to build a RAR-compatible archiver. It creates ZIP and 7Z instead.
To send a compressed folder, ZIP is the safe choice: Windows, macOS and Linux open it without extra software. 7Z usually makes smaller archives, but some recipients may need an extra app to open it. Madghoot can also convert a RAR to ZIP when you need to pass one on.
Split and multi-part archives
Madghoot 1.0 opens split and multi-part sets: .part1.rar, .rar with .r00,
.7z.001, .z01 with .zip, and .zip.001. Mac App Store apps can only
read the files you give them, so the first time you open a set in a new folder, Madghoot asks once for permission to
read that folder and find the other parts (why it asks).
If a part is missing or damaged, it says so before extracting (“Part 3 of 5 is missing”) and never reports success on a partial set. Creating split archives is planned for version 1.1 (see the changelog). More in how to extract multi-part RAR files.
Zip64 and zips over 4 GB
The original zip format can't describe files or archives over 4 GB. Zip64 fixes that, and Madghoot uses it automatically when an archive needs it. It also opens the Deflate64 zips that Windows Explorer creates for large folders, which macOS's built-in tool can't expand.
Encryption
Madghoot encrypts ZIP and 7Z archives with AES-256. For 7Z you can also encrypt the file names, so nobody can even list the contents without the password. Windows' built-in zip tool can't open AES-encrypted zips, so the recipient needs 7-Zip or a similar app. Madghoot offers ZipCrypto as a labeled "Compatible (weak)" option for people who can't install anything.
What macOS opens without an app
Archive Utility, the tool macOS uses when you double-click an archive, expands ZIP, TAR, GZ and BZ2 files. On macOS 26
it also declares support for 7Z and XZ, but not RAR. The Terminal's tar command can extract tar, zip,
7-Zip, xar, cpio and ISO 9660 archives, and has limited support for older RAR files, according to its manual
(man bsdtar and man libarchive-formats).
Neither handles password-protected 7Z or RAR, multi-part sets or Deflate64 zips, and Archive Utility gives you no way to look inside an archive before extracting it. That's the gap Madghoot fills. For the Terminal route, see unzip and zip files in the Mac Terminal.