Why does my computer say I need to purchase WinZip?
That’s a weird thing that Windows does… short answer: you do not need to purchase WinZip or any other utility.
Any computer running an operating system later than Windows 7 has built-in capabilities to open ZIP files. Microsoft must own WinZip or have a marketing deal with them that makes them try to sell WinZip to you. You do NOT need WinZip.
You have 2 easy options for how to get past this WinZip prompt.
Option 1 — use Windows File Explorer to find the ZIP folder (it’s probably in the Downloads folder). Double-click on the folder. If Windows displays a message that basically says “hey, do you want to buy WinZip?” look on the message for an option that says “no,” and click it. The folder should open.
Option 2 — If Option 1 doesn’t work, there’s an easy way to fix the issue:
- Select the ZIP folder, then right-click on it. a pop-up menu will appear.
- In the pop-up menu, select “open with” and then select “choose another app” — a new dialog box will open.
- Select “file Explorer” in the dialog box, and select the “always use this app” option near the bottom of the box.
- Click “OK.”
Once you’ve made that change, Windows will open ZIP files using File Explorer, and you’ll never see that WinZip prompt again.