Working with ZIP Files in Python

Python provides the built-in zipfile module to work with ZIP files. A ZIP file compresses multiple files into a single archive without data loss, making it useful for saving storage space, faster file transfer and better organization of related files.

ZIP Files Modules

The zipfile module can be used for various purposes, including:

1. Read ZIP Files: Python allows you to access and extract the contents of a compressed archive without manually unzipping it.

Output

File Name Modified Size
file.txt 2026-01-17 10:35:16 72

Explanation:

• zipfile.ZipFile("file.zip", "r"): Opens the ZIP file in read mode
• with ... as zip_ref: Ensures the file is properly closed after use
• zip_ref.printdir(): Displays the list of files stored inside the ZIP archive

2. Extracting a ZIP File: Extracting means unpacking all or specific files from a compressed archive so they can be used normally.

Output

Extracted files:
file.txt

Explanation:

• zip_ref.extractall(): Extracts all files from the ZIP into the current directory.
• for file in zip_ref.namelist(): Loops through all file names in the ZIP.

3. Writing to a ZIP File: It allows you to create a new ZIP archive or add files to an existing one.

Note: This code creates new_file.zip and adds info.txt and data.txt to it. No output is shown, but the ZIP file is created in the script’s folder.

Explanation:

• with zipfile.ZipFile("new_file.zip", "w") as zipf: Creates a new ZIP file named new_file.zip in write mode ('w'), overwriting if it already exists.
• zipf.write("info.txt"): Adds the file info.txt into the ZIP archive.
• zipf.write("data.txt"): Adds the file data.txt into the ZIP archive.

4. Appending Files to an Existing ZIP: Python allows you to add files to an existing ZIP archive without overwriting it by using append mode ('a').

Note: This code adds test1.txt to the ZIP file "file.zip". Nothing is printed, but the ZIP now contains the new file.

Explanation:

• 'a' mode: Opens the ZIP file for appending; existing files remain intact.
• zipf.write("test1.txt"): Adds the file extra.txt to the existing ZIP archive.

5. Reading File Contents of ZIP File: Python allows reading the contents of a file inside a ZIP without extracting it. This is useful when you want to process files directly from the archive.

Output

Welcome to GeeksforGeeks!

Explanation:

• zipf.read("file.txt"): Reads the content of the file file.txt inside the ZIP without extracting it.
• content.decode(): Converts the file content from bytes to a string so it can be printed.

Related Articles:

• Unzipping files in Python
• Read a zipped file as a Pandas DataFrame