🗜️ Fix Japanese File Names in a ZIP
Got a ZIP from Japan whose file names come out garbled? Drop it here. The tool reads the names with the right Japanese encoding and re-packs the ZIP with UTF-8 names that every computer understands. The file never leaves your browser.
Drop a ZIP file here, or click to choose one
Up to 200 MB. Password-protected ZIP files are not supported.
Why the names get garbled
For most of its history the ZIP format had no field saying which encoding the file names use. Each program simply writes names in its own system encoding. Japanese Windows uses Shift_JIS; English Windows and many unzip tools assume CP437, and macOS assumes UTF-8. When the two sides disagree, the same bytes are read with a different table:
| Zipped on | Opened on | 日本語のファイル名.txt looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese Windows | English Windows / 7-Zip | ô·û{îΩé╠âtâ@âCâïû╝.txt |
| Japanese Windows | macOS / Linux | ���{��̃t�@�C����.txt (or unreadable names) |
| Mac / Linux (UTF-8) | Japanese Windows (old unzip tools) | 譌･譛ｬ隱槭�ｮ繝輔ぃ繧､繝ｫ蜷�.txt |
The contents of the files are not affected, only the names. That is why re-reading the names with the right encoding is enough to fix the archive.
Other ways to extract with correct names
- 7-Zip (Windows):
7z x -mcp=932 archive.zip - Bandizip (Windows / Mac): open the archive, set the code page to Japanese, then extract.
- Linux:
unzip -O cp932 archive.zip - Mac: The Unarchiver lets you pick Japanese (Shift_JIS) when it cannot detect the encoding.
- Only need to read one name? Paste it into the Japanese text fixer.
Frequently asked questions
Is my ZIP file uploaded?
No. The ZIP is opened, renamed and re-packed inside your browser. Nothing is sent to a server, so it also works for confidential files.
Why do Japanese file names in ZIP files get garbled?
The ZIP format did not originally record which character encoding the file names use. Japanese Windows writes them in Shift_JIS, while English Windows, macOS and most unzip tools read them as CP437 or UTF-8. The bytes are the same; they are just read with the wrong table, which turns 日本語 into something like ô·û{îΩ.
Are the files inside the ZIP damaged?
No. Only the names are misread. The contents of every file are copied into the new ZIP exactly as they were.
I already extracted the files and the names are garbled. Can I still fix them?
Use the original ZIP file if you still have it: that is where the original bytes of the names are kept. If you only have the extracted files, paste a garbled name into our Japanese text fixer to read what it says, and rename the file by hand.
Does it work with password-protected ZIP files, 7z or RAR?
No. Only regular ZIP files up to 200 MB are supported. Extract password-protected archives first, or use 7-Zip with the “-mcp=932” option.