Universal Extractor is a program that does just what it sounds like. It extracts stuff, and not just a little bit of stuff, a LOT of stuff. The program is not supposed to be a replacement for a general purpose archiving program (like 7-Zip), as it cannot create archives. However, if you need something extracted, there is a good chance that Universal Extractor has you covered.

WHAT IS IT AND WHAT DOES IT DO

Main Functionality

Universal Extractor is a program that is made for one thing, and that is to extract stuff. It is not made to be a general purpose archiving program, as it cannot make archives. However, it is able to extract files from almost any kind of archive. So regardless of the file format of the file you need to extract, you can count on Universal Extractor to help you out.

Pros

• Universal Extractor works on the following archives/compressed files: .7z, .ace, .exe, .arc .arj, .bin, .cue, .bz2, .tbz2, cpio, .deb, .cdi, .b64, .uu, .uue, .xx, .xxe, .yenc, .ntx, .gz, .tgz, .tar.gz, img, .cab, .1, .lib, .iso, .kgb, kge, .lzh, .lha, .lzma, .lzo, .Z, .tz, .tar.Z, .lzx, .mht, cab, .exe, .imf, .chm, .lit, .hlp, .nbh, .nrg, .odt, .odp, .odg, .ods, .docx, .pptx, .xlsx, .dbx, .pea, .rar, .001, .rpm, .sis, .sit, .uha, .dll, .wim, .msm, .msi, .msp, .msu, .xz, .txz, .tar.xz, .zip, .jar, .xpi, .wz, .zoo, and many more!
• Extractions are quick, regardless of the file type

Cons

• Does not have the ability to create archives, so it cannot replace other tools like 7-Zip
• If you have never run into a problem of not being able to unzip or extract something, this program probably won’t help you

Discussion

There is not much to say about Universal Extractor, because it only does one thing: extract files. That brings us to the only flaw of this program, and that is the fact that it cannot be used as a replacement for other programs like WinZip, 7-Zip or WinRAR. The program simply does not create archives, but it has no problem extracting them.

On every file type I tried, the program was able to extract the files without a problem. Although I was not able to try all the file types listed above, I was able to try .7z, .zip, .cdi, .iso, .pea, and .rar. All of these extracted without fail, leading me to assume it is the same for the rest.

So if this program cannot be used as a replacement for a tool like 7-Zip, why have it? Well I can tell you that it was extremely helpful. There are packed files I get all the time that cannot be opened by WinZip or 7-Zip. Then it becomes a hunt to find out which programs have the ability to unpack the said extensions. Universal Extractor takes the guesswork away. You can have just one program to unzip all of your files. When you need to zip something, use your general purpose archiving program. When it comes to extracting, I would pull out Universal Extractor.

The files that I did try the program on extracted very quickly. In fact, I found it to be a bit faster than some other programs, like WinRAR. Of course, the speed all depends on the size of the file. However, a few .iso files I tried were rather large, and they seemed to have gone quickly enough.

CONCLUSION AND DOWNLOAD LINK

If you are looking for an all-in-one extractor, then you cannot go wrong with Universal Extractor. The program is easy-to-use and works on just about every file type. That being said, if you need to zip or archive something (i.e. create an archive or compressed file), this program won’t do you a bit of good. However, this program is worth a download for most people.

Price: Free

Version reviewed: 1.6.1

Supported OS: Windows NT /98 / Me / 2000 / XP /2003 / Vista / 7

Download size: 5.3MB

VirusTotal malware scan results: 0/44

Is it portable? No

Universal Extractor download page