Create Empty Folders in 7-Zip Archives

This article explains whether the 7-Zip File Manager can create new empty folders directly inside existing compressed archives, identifies which formats support this functionality, and provides the step-by-step process to do so without extracting your files.

Yes, 7-Zip File Manager can create new empty folders directly inside existing archives, but only if the archive format supports write operations. Formats such as .7z and .zip fully support this feature, allowing you to add directory structures on the fly.

How to Create an Empty Folder Inside an Archive

  1. Open 7-Zip File Manager.
  2. Navigate to and open the target archive (e.g., a .zip or .7z file).
  3. Browse to the internal directory where you want the new folder to reside.
  4. Press F7 on your keyboard, or right-click within the empty space and select Create Folder (alternatively, go to File > Create Folder).
  5. Type the desired folder name and click OK.

7-Zip will immediately update the archive, writing the new directory entry into the compressed file structure without requiring you to unpack and recompress your data.

Format Limitations

While this feature works smoothly with standard write-supported formats, there are important limitations:

  • Read-Only Formats: 7-Zip cannot modify formats it cannot write to, such as .rar (creation and modification are proprietary to WinRAR), .iso, or .cab.
  • Single-File Streams: Formats like standalone .gz or .bz2 do not support multi-file directory structures unless combined with an archive format like .tar.
  • Solid Archives: If you add a folder to a solid .7z archive containing large files, the operation may take a moment because 7-Zip may need to rebuild parts of the archive to write the changes.