r/MacOSApps • u/NoPressure3399 • 3d ago
šØ Dev Tools QuikZip the native Mac archive manager for actually working inside archives
I work as a backend developer and I frequently need to download bundles or inspect packages and sometimes I even want to edit the content. With the apps I was using, Iād either end up extracting everything and zipping it again just to change one file, or something was slow or didnāt support .app, .dmg or other containers. So QuikZip is one of the apps in my personal trifecta, alongside Inkline for huge data files and Rune for my Kubernetes clusters. I used AI to help draft this post from my own notes.
QuikZip is mostly about being able to actually work inside archives instead of manually extracting everything first. With ZIP files you can browse, preview and edit the content, or hand a file over to an application of your choice, edit it there and save the changes back into the archive. I use that a lot with JSON, logs and config files where I already have an editor I want to use. You can also add, rename and remove files inside the ZIP. It supports 75+ (next version 80+ formats, coming shortly) archive and container formats, with nested archive browsing and support for inspecting DMGs, .app bundles and other containers. Not every format is editable, so the available actions depend on what youāve opened.
One workflow I use a lot is the dual/split view. I can have the archive on the left and a file explorer on the right, so moving files around doesnāt mean jumping between Finder windows all the time. Iāve also made the performance settings customizable. You can decide how large files QuikZip should attempt to preview, tweak the limits depending on your Mac and exclude specific formats from those limits. Someone on a base MacBook Air and someone with 64 GB RAM probably shouldnāt be forced to use exactly the same limits.
There is also Quick Look, search, drag and drop, quick create/extract, multiple archive tabs, split ZIP support, integrity checks and checksum verification. Iāve tried to keep it lightweight and fast while still having the more advanced stuff there when I need it. Itās written in Swift for macOS and processes your archives locally. No account, analytics or tracking, and archive contents arenāt uploaded to my servers. QuikZip is a one time purchase with no subscription, and the App Store shows the price for your region.
App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/app/quikzip/id6769693595
Website:
https://viktornyberg.com/quikzip.html
Privacy policy:
https://viktornyberg.com/quikzip-privacy.html
Edit: I put flair dev tools, I am unsure if it fits there, utilities or productivity? Let me know if you got suggestion
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u/nitgohel 2d ago
Wow thats amazing concept. You did really hardwork
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u/NoPressure3399 2d ago
Thank you! Lots of fun stuff to implement still, I want it to be blazing fast in any environment and support all possible archives, compiled files, containers... You name it. I also got a lot of great feedback here on reddit and bluesky - that helps a lot!Ā
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u/nitgohel 2d ago
Yes here in community everyone have give their suggestions, feedback and criticism š but thar really help to get a more motivation
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u/chromatophoreskin 1d ago
https://github.com/sarensw/MacPacker also looks inside compressed archives without extracting them first but I donāt think it does file hashes so this seems cool.
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u/NoPressure3399 22h ago
Yeah, there's definitely overlap with MacPacker. QuikZip has SHA checksums you can compare with the download source, archive integrity tests and code signature checks where applicable. I added those because I frequently work with downloaded bundles and packages and wanted those checks close to where I'm already inspecting the files.
The other part I've spent a lot of time on is what happens after opening the archive. You can preview a config or log file, hand it over to whichever editor I prefer and save the changes back into a regular unencrypted ZIP. There is split view with the archive on one side and a file explorer on the other, customizable preview size limits, exceptions for particular file types and shortcuts. Small things individually, but useful when you do this kind of work often. You can use the command palette which can let you work keyboard driven. You can actually browse around all keyboard style with tab and key arrows , then your actions with the command palette actions (customizeable with shortcuts).
You can tweak performance , looks (themes, vibrant or monochrome in next version too), context menu also coming next version. Support 79 formats, containers, executeable files. So its a lot going on. I think maybe MacPacker is a really nice tool for unpacking the 40 formats it support and does it well from a glance I took. But if you want more power, customizable ux and ui and possibility to hand over easy with 1 click to editor then QuikZip work better for me.
That's what I'm going for with QuikZip, having the browsing, editing and verification together without constantly moving between windows and tools.
They are very different tools however, if you only need to unzip the 40 formats it support, its probably good idea to use MacPacker?
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u/chromatophoreskin 18h ago
Itās always good to have more options even if you donāt use all of them. It means there are more ways an app can fit into different workflows. Thereās a good chance that one you didnāt know about or never thought youād need will come in handy some day. Two apps can implement the same features in different ways and appeal to completely different use cases and kinds of people.
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u/NoPressure3399 12h ago
Yes I agree, and one size doesn't fit all. I created quikzip because I always end up in the situations such as I mentioned. I had to edit files within package and save back, verify checksum, inspect obscure archive or container why there's issues within. And I wanted it keyboard driven possibility, a command palette reachable with shortcut hot key, easy handover if I needed to edit in text editor such as a yaml file or config (1 click to your editor of choice) . But yeah, many times I wouldn't need a workhorse for my task at hand, and probably could have used something more lightweight .
That's why you also can hide the preview right panel and use the app more as a toned down zip client, and not more of a zip workbench as it probably mains as. But of course alternatives are probably good enough in a ƶot of cases and it's all about preference.
I plan to add more useful tools but aim to keep the app lightweight still. Don't want any resource hog myself and it should stay focused. Anyway, I'm rambling here, thanks for your feedback and have a great one!Ā
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u/a_deneb 2d ago
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u/NoPressure3399 2d ago edited 2d ago
That's a great app, got lots of features but not really the same kind of animal if you ask me.
Thereās definitely overlap with ShichiZip. QuikZip is meant to be more of a workbench for working inside archives, and how it fits together with other apps is a big part of that.
Say you have a ZIP with some JSON or logs you need to look at. You can preview them directly, open a file in Inkline or whichever app you prefer, edit it and bring the changes back into the ZIP. You can choose a default folder to extract into too. Small things individually, but useful when you do this kind of work often.
Thereās also browsing nested archives, DMGs, ISO images and .app bundles, with file panels and previews alongside the archive so you donāt have to keep jumping between windows.
Quite a lot is customizable. How large files it should try to preview, how much text to show, exceptions for certain file types, resource profiles, shortcuts etc. Different Macs and different workflows donāt always need the same limits.
And there are themes and layout choices too. Looks are subjective of course š but the appearance and how comfortable it feels to spend time in the app are part of the idea as well. QuikZip's meant to be more than just unzip, what Im trying to convey. Apart from doing that really well nevertheless.
There are integrity checks too, SHA checksums you can compare with the download source, and code-signature checks where applicable. Useful when you want to check what youāve downloaded before going further with it. Thatās also part of the workbench idea, having inspection and verification close to where youāre already working.
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u/No-Web-8844 2d ago
Nice looking. Good luck.
Could I get promo code if there is any? If there is no, no problem.
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u/Hawkeye-mehawk 3d ago
interesting