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Archive File Recovery: How to Recover Deleted ZIP, RAR, 7Z, DMG, CAB, TAR, ISO & Compressed Files
By XRecovery Team  |  Updated: August 7, 2026  |  13 min read

Archive File Recovery: How to Recover Deleted ZIP, RAR, 7Z, DMG, CAB, TAR, ISO & Compressed Files

Archive files are containers within containers. A single ZIP can hold hundreds of documents, photos, and spreadsheets. When you lose an archive, you lose everything inside it — or do you? Archive recovery has a unique advantage: the most common archive format (ZIP) was designed with data recovery in mind. Its central directory at the end of the file acts as a built-in backup index. See the complete file type overview.

Table of Contents

  1. ZIP — The Most Recoverable Archive Format
  2. RAR — Recovery Records & Solid Archives
  3. 7Z, TAR, GZ, DMG, ISO, CAB, DEB, RPM
  4. Recover Archives with XRecovery
  5. FAQ

1. ZIP — The Most Recoverable Archive Format

ZIP File Structure — Central Directory Enables Recovery File 1 Data File 2 Data File 3 Data ... Central Directory (at END of ZIP file) Lists every file: name, size, CRC, offset — a complete index of the archive EOCD Record If file header is damaged, the Central Directory at the end can still reconstruct the entire ZIP
Figure 1: ZIP places its Central Directory at the END — enabling recovery even when the beginning is partially overwritten

The ZIP format specification (PKWARE APPNOTE) places the Central Directory at the end of the file. This is a brilliant design choice for recovery: even if the beginning of the ZIP file is partially overwritten, the Central Directory at the end can still be used to locate and extract all files. Additionally, each file entry within a ZIP has its own local header (PK\x03\x04), making individual files extractable even if the Central Directory is damaged. ZIP is also the internal structure of modern Office formats (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX) and OpenDocument formats (ODT, ODS) — meaning the same recovery advantages apply to these formats.

StructureMagic NumberLocation
Local File Header50 4B 03 04 (PK..)Before each file's data
Central Directory Entry50 4B 01 02 (PK..)End of file
End of Central Directory (EOCD)50 4B 05 06 (PK..)Very end of file

2. RAR — Recovery Records & Solid Archives

RAR (Roshal Archive) has a sophisticated feature set including recovery records — optional redundant data that can repair minor corruption. RAR 5.0 format uses a different structure than earlier versions.

FeatureRAR 4.xRAR 5.0
Magic Number52 61 72 21 1A 07 00 (Rar!...)52 61 72 21 1A 07 01 00 (Rar!....)
Recovery RecordsSupported — adds 1-10% size overheadSupported — improved algorithm
Solid ArchivesAll files compressed as one streamSame — better compression but harder partial recovery

Solid archive warning: In solid RAR archives, all files are compressed as a single data stream. Damage to any part of this stream can make all subsequent files unrecoverable. Non-solid archives treat each file independently — damage to one doesn't affect others. Always use non-solid mode for important backups.

3. 7Z, TAR, GZ, DMG, ISO & Others

FormatMagic NumberKey Recovery Characteristic
7Z37 7A BC AF 27 1C7-Zip format — open source, well-documented. Signature at start of file.
GZ (gzip)1F 8B 08Single-file compression only. RFC 1952. Simple structure, easy to recover.
TAR75 73 74 61 72 (ustar) at byte 257POSIX tar format. Archive only (no compression) — just concatenated files.
DMG (Apple Disk Image)78 01 73 0D 62 62 60Mac disk image. Contains HFS+/APFS file system. Complex recovery.
ISO 966043 44 30 30 31 (CD001) at sector 16Optical disc image. ISO 9660 standard. Well-structured.
CAB4D 53 43 46 (MSCF)Microsoft Cabinet format. Used for Windows installers and updates.

4. Recover Archives with XRecovery

XRecovery recognizes all major archive signatures and can recover ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZ, DMG, ISO, CAB, and more. See the complete format matrix.

  1. Download XRecovery to a different drive.
  2. Select the drive → Deep Scan (archive files are often large and may be fragmented).
  3. Filter by Archive category. ZIP files are identified by their PK header, RAR by Rar!.
  4. After recovery, verify the archive can be opened. Try extracting a few files to confirm integrity. If the archive reports errors, use the archive tool's built-in repair function (WinRAR: Tools→Repair; 7-Zip: Test).
  5. Recover to a different drive. XRecovery tutorial.

Formatted drive recovery · Damaged drive recovery

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FAQ

Why is ZIP the most recoverable archive format?

ZIP stores its Central Directory (index of all files) at the end of the file. If the beginning is damaged, the end can still reconstruct everything. ZIP specification.

Can I recover files from inside a corrupted ZIP?

Each file in a ZIP has its own local header (PK\x03\x04). Individual files may be extractable even if the Central Directory is damaged. For RAR: use WinRAR's Repair function if recovery records were enabled.

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