AccessDropA buyer's zip file won't open
"It's corrupted" is often what buyers type. Before re-sending anything, there are two causes worth ruling out.
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The message usually says the same thing: the file is "corrupted", or it "won't open". The instinct is to re-send the exact same file and hope. It's worth working out which of the causes below you're dealing with first, because one of them a re-send won't fix.
Two causes worth ruling out
| What the buyer sees | What's actually happening |
|---|---|
| "The file is corrupted" or Windows won't extract it at all | If the zip is password-protected or encrypted, Microsoft says of Windows 11, version 24H2 that "it does not support operations on encrypted archive files." A buyer on that version needs a separate program (Microsoft suggests "non-Microsoft applications such as 7-zip or WinRAR"), not a re-send. |
| A Mac won't open the zip | Apple's guidance is to check there's enough free space first; then, for a zip received from someone else, "there might be a problem with the file. Ask them to zip the file again and resend it." Apple doesn't say what the problem is. |
What to ask them to check first
- 1
Enough free space
Apple's own fix for a Mac zip that won't open is to "make sure you have enough space on your Mac for the unzipped item."
- 2
The built-in tool, used properly
On Windows, right-clicking the zip and choosing Extract All… gets everything out at once; Microsoft also lets you open the zipped folder and drag files out to a new location. On a Mac, it's a plain double-click: "The unzipped item appears in the same folder as the .zip file."
- 3
Whether the file is actually encrypted
If you set a password on the zip when you made it, Microsoft says Windows 11, version 24H2 doesn't support encrypted archives, so a buyer on that version can't open it with the built-in tool. The honest fix is to stop password-protecting the file, not to ask every buyer to install a new program before they can see what they paid for.
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