Archives & Files · Error fix

How to fix "Unexpected end of archive" in WinRAR and 7-Zip

! C:\Downloads\website.zip: Unexpected end of archive

The extractor reached the physical end of the file while it still expected more compressed data. The archive is shorter than its own headers say it should be, almost always because it was not fully downloaded, copied or created.

Also appears as: Unexpected end of data (7-Zip) · There are some data after the end of the payload data · Can not open the file as archive · Headers Error / Unconfirmed start of archive

Common causes

An interrupted browser download, or a download manager that stitched parts together incorrectly
A multi-volume archive (.part1.rar, .part2.rar or .7z.001, .7z.002) with one or more volumes missing or incomplete
The archive was copied to a FAT32 USB drive, which silently cannot store files of 4 GB or more
A backup or export process (cPanel, hosting panel, plugin) timed out or ran out of disk space while writing
Email or chat services truncated or re-encoded a large attachment

How to fix it

Verify the file size or hash. Compare the size with the source, or run certutil -hashfile file.zip SHA256 on Windows and compare with the published hash. A mismatch means the fix is a fresh download.
Check that all volumes are present. For split archives, put every part in the same folder with identical base names and open only the first part (.part1.rar or .001). One missing or short volume causes this error.
Download again with resume support. Use a browser or a tool like curl -C - -L -o file.zip URL that resumes cleanly, or download via SFTP from the server instead of over HTTP.
Extract what is intact. In WinRAR, tick 'Keep broken files' in the Extract dialog. In 7-Zip, extracting still writes every complete file before the cut-off; only the last file is usually incomplete.
Try WinRAR's Repair for RAR files. Tools > Repair archive works best on RAR archives that include a recovery record. It cannot recreate data that was never downloaded.
Avoid FAT32 for large archives. If the archive is 4 GB or larger and came off a USB stick, check the drive's file system. Use NTFS or exFAT, or split the archive into smaller volumes.

Windows Command Prompt

certutil -hashfile website.zip SHA256

:: test the archive with 7-Zip without extracting
"C:\Program Files\7-Zip\7z.exe" t website.zip

:: extract what can be read
"C:\Program Files\7-Zip\7z.exe" x website.zip -oC:\x\out

How to stop it happening again

Add a recovery record when creating important RAR archives (WinRAR: Add > Add recovery record)
Split large backups into volumes under 2 GB for transfer and store their checksums
Test new archives immediately with 7z t or unzip -t before deleting the originals

File2fix tools for this error

Corrupted ZIP Safe Recovery →ZIP Integrity Validator →ZIP Splitter →

Frequently asked questions

Will WinRAR's Repair option fix a truncated archive?

It can rebuild damaged headers, and with a recovery record it can fix small corruptions, but it cannot invent missing bytes. If the file is shorter than the original, only a new download or copy restores the missing data.

What does 'There are some data after the end of the payload data' mean?

7-Zip found extra bytes after the archive ended. This is usually a warning, not a failure: the files extract fine, and the extra data is often padding or something appended by a download tool.

Why does the same file open on one PC but not another?

Usually the two copies are different, for example one was copied through FAT32 or an incomplete sync. Compare the hashes of both copies to confirm.

How to fix "Unexpected end of archive" in WinRAR and 7-Zip

Common causes

How to fix it

How to stop it happening again

File2fix tools for this error

Frequently asked questions

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