Bulk ZIP Extraction with PowerShell: My Go-To Script (No Frills)

Not gonna lie, I used to avoid bulk ZIP extractions like the plague. Back in 2020, I tried unzipping 80 log bundles manually on a client’s Windows Server 2016 box. Explorer froze halfway through, and I ended up remoting in with Task Manager just to kill the session. Lesson learned.

These days, I just use PowerShell. It’s fast, predictable, and doesn’t care if you’re dealing with 5 files or 500.

Why I Use This Setup

I run Hyper-V on a ThinkPad with 32GB RAM, mostly testing scripts on Windows 11 and Server 2019 VMs. I get ZIPs from vendors, backups, and internal tools—some nested, some flat. I needed something that:

• Doesn’t assume hardcoded paths
• Can be handed off to junior admins
• Logs failures without crashing
• Doesn’t require installing third-party tools unless absolutely necessary

The Script I Actually Use

Here’s the base loop. I keep this saved as ExtractZips.ps1 and tweak paths as needed:

$Source = "D:\IncomingZips"
$Destination = "D:\Extracted"

Get-ChildItem -Path $Source -Filter *.zip | ForEach-Object {
    $ZipFile = $_.FullName
    $DestPath = Join-Path $Destination $_.BaseName
    Expand-Archive -Path $ZipFile -DestinationPath $DestPath -Force
}

Each ZIP gets its own folder. I used to extract everything into one folder, but that got messy fast—conflicts, overwrites, missing DLLs. Never again.

When I Need It to Be Click-Friendly

If I’m handing this off to someone who’s not comfortable editing paths, I add a folder picker:

Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms

function Select-Folder($Message) {
    $dialog = New-Object System.Windows.Forms.FolderBrowserDialog
    $dialog.Description = $Message
    if ($dialog.ShowDialog() -eq 'OK') {
        return $dialog.SelectedPath
    } else {
        Write-Output "No folder selected. Exiting script."
        exit
    }
}

$Source = Select-Folder "Select ZIP folder"
$Destination = Select-Folder "Select destination folder"

I’ve used this version on a couple of client laptops—non-admin users just double-click and follow the prompts.

Logging Success and Failures

This part saved me last month when a corrupted ZIP silently failed. I didn’t even notice until I checked the log:

$LogFile = "D:\Logs\ExtractLog.txt"

Get-ChildItem -Path $Source -Filter *.zip | ForEach-Object {
    try {
        $ZipFile = $_.FullName
        $DestPath = Join-Path $Destination $_.BaseName
        Expand-Archive -Path $ZipFile -DestinationPath $DestPath -Force
        Add-Content -Path $LogFile -Value "SUCCESS: $ZipFile → $DestPath"
    } catch {
        Add-Content -Path $LogFile -Value "ERROR: $ZipFile → $_"
    }
}

I don’t always include logging, but when I do, it’s usually because I’m running this on a schedule.

Scheduling It (Set and Forget)

If you’re dealing with recurring ZIPs—like nightly backups or vendor drops—just schedule the script:

• Save as ExtractZips.ps1
• Use Task Scheduler
• Trigger: Daily or at logon
• Action: powershell.exe -File "D:\Scripts\ExtractZips.ps1"

I’ve got this running on two client boxes. No GUI, no prompts—just extracts and logs.

A Few Quirks

• Password-protected ZIPs: PowerShell doesn’t support them. I use 7-Zip CLI:

  & "C:\Program Files\7-Zip\7z.exe" x "secure.zip" -pYourPassword -oExtracted -y

• Nested folders: Use -Recurse with Get-ChildItem if your ZIPs are buried.
• Overwrite issues: Always use -Force, or wrap in try/catch.
• Compression: You can reverse the process with Compress-Archive.

Final Thought

This isn’t a fancy setup. It’s just what works. I’ve used it on everything from dev VMs to production boxes. If you’ve got a better way—or hit a weird edge case—drop a note. I’m always tweaking this.

Ever tried extracting ZIPs from a network share with flaky permissions? That’s a whole other story…