Error 2 while unzipping file? 3 Ways to Verify and Extract Your Files

When you try to unzip a .zip file on a Mac, you might encounter an error that says “Can't expand .zip file...” followed by Error 2. Error 2 usually means that the path information in the original Zip file wasn't included in the command that was issued.

With this article, you can tackle any specific issue you might encounter. More importantly, this guide will show you how to fix the “Can't expand zip file Error 2” on your Mac and explain why your Mac displays this error. Let's get started!

Solution 1: Repair the Extracted ZIP File Using Software

When extracting files from a ZIP or RAR archive, you might come across the text "Can't extract .zip file... (Error 2)." A damaged ZIP file can occur due to several reasons, and your first instinct might be to fix the corrupted archive directly. Utilizing repair tools like Fixo File Repair is an effective solution that can assist you in restoring your ZIP file.

As a powerful office repair tool, Tools Fixo can fix corrupted files on Mac no matter what the cause or extent of the damage. Download this professional file repair software now to fix the "can't expand zip file error 2" issue.

If you can't unzip a ZIP file on your Mac, follow these steps:

Step 1. Launch the Document Repair Software

Run the Fixo Document Repair tool. Select “File Repair” from the left panel. This program lets you repair corrupted Office documents, including Word, Excel, PDF, and more.

Step 2: Select and repair the damaged document

Click “Repair All” to fix all the added documents. If you only want to repair one document, hover your cursor over it and click “Repair.” To preview the repaired document, click the eye icon.

Step 3: Preview and save the repaired document

When the scan is finished, click “Save” to save the selected documents. You can also click “Save All” to save all repaired documents. Click “View Repaired Files” to view the repaired folders.

If this article helped you, please bookmark it. Also, share it on social media so others can learn how to fix the “Can't uncompress .zip file… (Error 2)” issue on their Mac.

Solution 2: Change permissions to fix “Can't unzip file, error 2”

If you can't unzip a ZIP file and get an error like "Can't extract .zip file... (Error 2)," try these steps to unzip the file on your MacBook Air, Pro, or other device.

Consider changing the permissions on the ZIP file to eliminate errors due to insufficient read/write access.

Step 1: On your Mac, Control-click the .zip file and choose Get Info.

Step 2: Tap the Lock icon at the bottom, then enter your administrator password to make additional changes.

Step 3: In the Sharing & Permissions section, select your user name or the group you belong to, and change the permission to Read & Write.

After changing the ZIP file permissions, you can double-click to unzip the files. This method also works when you get the "unable to expand ZIP file Mac error 79" message.

Solution 3: Extract .zip Files Using the Mac Terminal

When you can't unzip files by double-clicking, you can run a command in the Mac Terminal. In addition to helping decompress large files that Archive Utility on your Mac can't handle, using the Terminal can also unzip corrupted zip files on a Mac.

Here are the steps to decompress a ZIP file in the terminal:

1. Open **Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal**. Alternatively, you can launch Spotlight Search by pressing **Command + Space**. Type in **Terminal** and hit **Enter** to open it.

Step 2: In the terminal window, type unzip filename.zip, replacing "filename" with the actual name of your zip file.

Your archive should begin extracting. If the command doesn't work and returns an error like "No such file or directory," try these steps instead:

Type cd in Terminal, then press “Return.” This will quickly take you to the folder where your ZIP file is located. For example, if your ZIP file is in the "Downloads" folder, you would type cd ~/Downloads. Type unzip and press space. Drag the ZIP file into the Terminal window, then press “Return” to unzip the file.

If using the Terminal helped resolve the “Can't expand zip” error 2 on your Mac, you can download and install Fixo for Mac to quickly and safely repair your ZIP files.

Error 2 when Extracting Zip Files on Mac: Possible Reasons

There can be multiple reasons for the "Can't uncompress .zip file... (Error 2)" on a Mac, including but not limited to: 1. **Permission Issues**: You might not have sufficient permissions to unzip the file. This typically occurs when attempting to unzip a .zip file located in a protected system folder or a location that requires administrator privileges. 2. **File Corruption**: The .zip file itself could be corrupted or have errors during the download process, preventing it from unzipping correctly. 3. **Incompatible Software**: The zip utility you're using might not support the specific .zip file format or version. 4. **Insufficient Disk Space**: If there's not enough space on the target disk, the unzipping process will fail. 5. **Filename Encoding Issues**: Some .zip files use different character encodings that may be incompatible with your Mac, leading to an unzipping error. 6. **Viruses or Malware**: The .zip file could be infected with a virus, which disrupts the unzipping process. To address this issue, try the following steps: 1. **Open with Administrator Privileges**: Right-click the .zip file, choose "Open as Administrator," and then attempt to unzip. 2. **Redownload the File**: If the file was downloaded from the internet, try downloading it again to ensure its integrity. 3. **Use a Different Unzip Tool**: Try using another decompression software like The Unarchiver to see if it can successfully unzip the file. 4. **Free Up Disk Space**: Delete unnecessary files to make room for unzipping. 5. **Check File Encoding**: If the file contains non-ASCII characters, you may need a zip utility that supports more character encodings. 6. **Scan for Viruses**: Run an antivirus software to check for and remove any potential viruses or malware. If none of these solutions work, you may need to contact the source of the file for further assistance.

Lossy compression

Correctly compressing a ZIP file is a necessary step for retrieving data. Several issues can lead to errors during the compression process, such as unexpected power failures or machine shutdowns. As a result, the files being compressed might become corrupted and fail to load properly.

Disallowed zip file permissions

Another explanation for the issue could be permissions allowing access to the file directory or ZIP file. In certain cases, a third-party tool might help you resolve the problem quickly.

Incomplete downloads

A corrupted ZIP file is the main cause of this error text. When downloading a file on Mac, it might not have downloaded entirely correctly. In this case, you can resolve the issue by re-downloading the file through Terminal or closing the download source website.

"Frequently Asked Questions about 'Can't Unzip ZIP File on Mac, Error 2'"

Please refer to the above FAQ for a better understanding of this topic.

< b > What does "Error 2: No such file or directory" mean on a Mac?

When trying to unzip a ZIP file on a Mac, you might see the error "Error 2 - No such file or directory." This occurs because the Archive Utility misinterprets the filename as being missing. The most effective solution to this problem is to redownload the file.

Why can't I unzip my compressed file?

A common reason a ZIP file won't extract is that it's corrupted. If the ZIP file itself is incomplete or damaged, macOS or Windows might not be able to extract its contents properly.

How do I open a ZIP file on a Mac?

To open a ZIP file on a Mac, follow these three steps:

Step 1: Double-click the compressed file on your Mac to open it in ZIP format.

Step 2: This will launch the “Archive Utility,” which will decompress the file.

Step 3. Click on the icon to access the retrieved file.

Conclusions

A ZIP file is a standard format for compressing files and folders, which makes them much smaller, often for sharing over the Internet. On a Mac, you can usually unZIP a file by double-clicking it, but sometimes that can be a hassle.

This article will help you quickly find a solution to the problem "Can't extract .zip file... (Error 2)." There are three methods to resolve this issue on macOS, and all of them are aimed at troubleshooting the error. If you're looking for a specific fix, you can opt to install the Fixo File Repair tool to mend corrupted files.