How to extract text from your ZZ file
- Click the "Select File" button above, and choose your ZZ file.
- You’ll see a preview, if available.
- Click the "Convert file to..." button to extract text information.
Convert ZZ to another file type
To convert your ZZ file to another format, you need 7-Zip or other Compressed software.
- ZZ to ZIP
- ZZ to RAR
- ZZ to 7Z
- ZZ to TAR
- ZZ to GZ
- ZZ to BZ2
- ZZ to XZ
- ZZ to LZMA
- ZZ to CAB
- ZZ to ACE
- ZZ to ARJ
- ZZ to LHA
Convert a file to ZZ
To convert other file formats to the "Compressed Archive" file type, you need software like 7-Zip or a similar tool.
- XXE to ZZ
- 7Z to ZZ
- Z to ZZ
- PAK to ZZ
- LHA to ZZ
- DEB to ZZ
- UUE to ZZ
- TAR to ZZ
- LZH to ZZ
- ZIP to ZZ
- PKG to ZZ
- RAR to ZZ
About ZZ files
The .zz file extension primarily represents a compressed archive, though its origins are split between two very different use cases. In modern technical environments, it is often a raw zlib compressed data stream, sometimes generated by the Pigz (Parallel Implementation of GZip) utility when specifically requested to output zlib format rather than gzip. However, many users encounter this format as a legacy artifact associated with WinZix, a controversial file compression utility from the mid-2000s. The WinZix format was notoriously proprietary, often just a renamed ZIP with a modified header, designed to force users to download the company's ad-supported software. This can lead to major headaches: standard operating systems like Windows and macOS do not natively recognize the extension, and trying to open it often leads to dead-end search results or sketchy software recommendations. Furthermore, raw zlib streams lack the file headers found in standard ZIP or GZ files, making them difficult to inspect without command-line tools. To bypass these limitations and ensure safety, the best approach is to convert these archives to standard, universally supported formats. For general access, convert to ZIP or 7Z. For Linux or developer workflows, converting to TAR or a standard GZ file restores usability.
Convert.Guru analyzes your ZZ file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted 7Z, ZZZ, ZZS, ZIP, PAK, RK, DATA and EGP files.
The ZZ Converter Story
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our ZZ converter.