Unpack Attachments

Uncompresses attached Outlook ZIP archives in-place and removes the original archives.

This utility is designed to automatically unzip attachments in Outlook and Exchange Server folders. It identifies and extracts the compressed ZIP attachments in place, eliminating the original ZIP files. The tool provides advanced options to filter Outlook items being processed.

Main features

• Uncompresses attachments in multiple mailbox folders. You can choose any number of folders to unpack attachments at a time.
• Allows you to unzip attached files from multiple PST files, indicating them when configuring the utility.
• Filters Outlook items by type. Process the Outlook items of the selected type, for example, only emails and tasks.
• Select Outlook items to proceed by creation date, which is useful to extract attached archives only from the items created within a specific date range.
• Unzips password-protected archives, allowing you to enter the password once when configuring the utility.
• Unpacks ZIP attachments from multiple Outlook profiles and Exchange Server public folders. This option is available for the owners of the Professional Edition, which includes a command line app.
• Starts scheduled unpacking using the Windows Task Scheduler. The command line application provides automatic running at a specific time.

Why unpack Outlook attachments?

The compressed attached files in emails and other Outlook items save space in your mailbox, PST data files, Exchange Server folders, and other storage areas. Large attachments are one of the main causes of an oversized Outlook mailbox or PST file. Thus, packing attached documents to ZIP archives is a great way to free up additional space.

However, zipped attachments are not accessible immediately like normal ones. They need to be unpacked to open and manage the files within them.

You might need to uncompress the attached ZIP archives in the following situations:

• to view the files within the attachments
• to edit the attached files
• to share the attached documents with other users
• to restore previously zipped attachments

How to uncompress attached Outlook ZIP archives manually

To manually unpack ZIP attachments in Outlook, you must first save them to the local drive, then open the folder with the saved files and unzip them.

Many users would prefer to unzip the attached archive files directly in Outlook. However, Outlook does not provide such a built-in feature.

How to unpack Outlook ZIP attachments automatically

This utility allows you to unzip attached files from multiple emails and other Outlook items at once. It replaces ZIP attachments with the extracted files in a matter of moments.

Benefits of automatic attachment unzipping

• Automatically identifies compressed attachments in the ZIP format in multiple folders.
• Extracts the attached files from ZIP archives in place, meaning the contents of the zip file are extracted to the same location as the original archive.
• Removes the original ZIP archives after they have been extracted.
• Provides additional options to filter processed Outlook items. You can select items by type or time period.
• Allows you to enter the password for protected ZIP files beforehand to avoid entering it for each archive file.
• Uncompresses Outlook attachments previously packed with the Pack Attachments utility.

Steps to unpack Outlook ZIP attachments automatically

1. Launch the utility and select the Outlook folders that may contain the compressed attachments by pressing Configure...
2. Set up the utility, selecting Outlook items to process by type or creation date.
3. Optionally, you can enter a password for the password-protected archives.
4. Run the utility to extract the attached ZIP files in the selected folders.
5. After the extraction process is complete, the utility removes the original ZIP archives that were unpacked by itself.

How to unzip Outlook attachments in bulk

The command line app, available in the Professional Edition of the utility, helps unpack ZIP attachments in multiple Outlook profiles and Exchange Server public folders. You can create different scripts and scenarios to automate the process of unpacking attached archives in bulk.

Professional Edition allows you to schedule the utility to run at specific intervals using Windows Task Scheduler so that the attached files are extracted automatically at the scheduled time.

FAQ

What is the Unpack Attachments tool?

The Unpack Attachments tool is a utility that automatically extracts attached ZIP files directly from Outlook and Exchange Server folders, replacing the original ZIP archives with the resulting files. It processes multiple folders at a time and offers additional features.

Can the Unpack Attachments utility remove attachments in Outlook?

This utility removes only the attached ZIP files, replacing them with the extracted contents.

To automatically remove multiple Outlook attachments, use the Remove Attachments and Remove Duplicate Attachments utilities.

Can I unpack attachments from multiple Outlook profiles?

Yes, the utility can unpack attachments from multiple Outlook profiles, helped by the command line app in Professional Edition.

Can I unpack attachments from PST files?

Yes, the software can unzip attached archives from PST by selecting the data files when configuring the utility.

Why can I no longer open unzipped attachments in messages?

You may find that after unpacking zip attachments in your emails, you cannot open some of them in messages anymore. To fix it, you need to allow access to these specific attachment types in Outlook. Free ReliefJet Tweaker for Outlook will help you to unlock required attachments: just check required attachment types in Unblock Attachments list, click OK and restart your Outlook.