CodeariaAcademy
GitHub repositorycommit this monthDevelopmentAutomation

HatchZip

1.8k

Free extraction of huge archives when your disk is nearly full: the archive is used up as the files come out, so you only need room for the result. ZIP, 7z, tar and split archives. Windows, macOS and Linux, an installer with no admin rights. Apache-2.0.

We have not run it ourselves: described from the docs and the repository.

Open on GitHub

In numbers

of disk for a 180 GB game that unpacks to 200 GB: 7-Zip against HatchZip
GitHub stars as of 24.10.2026, three days after release
lines of code to use it: an installer and a right-click menu item

What it is

A normal extraction keeps both the archive and everything that came out of it on disk at once. A 180 GB game that unpacks to 200 GB needs 380 GB free with WinRAR, 7-Zip or unzip. HatchZip needs a little over 200 GB.

Here is how: it reads the archive's index, extracts pieces from the end and cuts the archive off after each finished piece. The freed space goes straight to the next files. Before it starts, the program works out whether everything will fit and touches nothing if it won't. Each file is fully written to disk before it is cut off the archive, so after a crash or a power cut a file is either on disk or still in the archive, and the extraction picks up where it left off.

How it works

Установка на Windows
Download HatchZip-x64-setup.exe from the repository's Releases (Windows 10 and 11). No admin rights needed. The program is not code-signed yet, so Windows shows "Windows protected your PC": choose More info, then Run anyway. There is a .dmg for macOS and .deb, .rpm and AppImage for Linux.
Распаковка
Right-click the archive → HatchZip → Extract here. On Windows 11 the item is under Show more options. Or open HatchZip from the Start menu, pick the archive and press Extract. Before it starts, the program shows whether the files will fit.
hatchzip check
On the command line, hatchzip check <archive> works out in advance how much free space this particular archive needs. The --verify-first flag checks the whole archive first: use it when the archive can't be downloaded again.

Know before installing

The archive disappears as it is extracted: only the files are left at the end. If you will need the archive again, copy it first.
RAR is not supported yet, only planned. ZIP, 7z, tar, .tar.gz and .001, .002 split archives work, including password-protected ones.
There is no gain when a 7z is packed as one solid block (7-Zip's default): the block can't be cut off until it is fully extracted. The program says so before it starts and touches nothing.
If the download itself is damaged, the files before the damaged spot come out and part of the archive is already gone. That is what --verify-first is for.
Open on GitHub

Also read

VoiceStudio: Voiceovers, Video Dubbing and Audiobooks in Your Own Voice on Your Own Computer (From Scratch)October 18, 2026Job Hunting With Claude Code: a Tailored Resume and Cover Letter for Every Posting in One Command (Setup From Scratch)October 17, 2026

Comments