Stuffit Expander

StuffIt Expander for Mac is a free utility that focuses on expanding compressed archives and decoding encoded files, with support for StuffIt and common archive types like ZIP, RAR, TAR, GZIP, and BZIP.

It is a good fit for Mac users who regularly receive archives from email or the web and want a simple tool that can handle a wide mix of formats, including password-protected ZIP files.

Simple expansion built around drag-and-drop

StuffIt Expander leans into a straightforward workflow: dragging a file onto the app (or into its window) is the recommended way to expand it. It also supports dropping multiple items at once, or even dragging a folder to process what’s inside, which helps when you have batches to unpack. One practical caveat is that double-clicking an archive is not reliable in many cases, so drag-and-drop is the behavior to expect.

Wide coverage for archives and encoded attachments

Beyond the basics, StuffIt Expander can expand over 30 formats, including StuffIt, RAR, and 7zip, and it also understands split and segmented archives. On the decoding side, it can be configured to expand encoded files, and it can continue expanding through additional layers when possible (for example, decoding an outer encoding layer and then expanding the archive underneath).

Helpful automation options when you want less manual work

For a more automated routine, StuffIt Expander can watch a designated folder and automatically expand archives placed there. It also includes optional integration to scan expanded content with your antivirus app, plus AppleScript support for building repeatable workflows.

Current status and what that means day to day

StuffIt is officially discontinued, with no new updates or new versions planned, and problem reports beyond installation on a supported system are not expected to be addressed. That makes StuffIt Expander best approached as a capable unpacking tool for its existing feature set, rather than a utility to rely on for long-term platform evolution.