# Add or Remove a ZIP Password Online

> Free online tool to password-protect a zip or strip the password from one you can open: AES-256 or ZipCrypto, with garbled filenames repaired on the way.

- URL: https://qilingtools.com/en/zip-password
- Category: Productivity (https://qilingtools.com/en/office)
- Tags: [Privacy & Security](https://qilingtools.com/en/tags/privacy), [Compression](https://qilingtools.com/en/tags/compress), [Productivity](https://qilingtools.com/en/tags/office)
- Last updated: 2026-10-26
- Price: Free, no sign-up
- Privacy: Runs locally in the browser; files are never uploaded

Add a password to a zip you already have, or remove one when you know the password — no need to unzip and rezip by hand. Choose AES-256 for real security or ZipCrypto for compatibility with the built-in unzip on Windows and macOS. The password stays in your browser.

## How to use

1. Drop in a .zip file
2. Choose "Add password" or "Remove password"; enter the current password if the archive is encrypted
3. Click Start and download the new zip

## Features

- Add, change or remove a zip password
- AES-256 and ZipCrypto
- Repacks garbled filenames as UTF-8
- Passwords and files never leave your browser

## FAQ

### Can it crack a password I forgot?

No. This tool re-encrypts archives you can already open; it does no password recovery of any kind. A wrong current password simply fails.

### The recipient cannot open my encrypted zip — why?

Almost always AES-256: neither Windows Explorer nor macOS Finder can read AES-encrypted zips. Choose ZipCrypto if it has to open with the built-in tools, but note it is cryptographically weak — for anything sensitive, keep AES-256 and have the recipient install 7-Zip or Keka.

### Does repacking change the contents?

No. Every file is read out of the original archive and written back unchanged; contents, folder structure and timestamps are preserved. Only the compression and encryption are regenerated from your settings.

### Why do the filenames look right afterwards?

If the original stored names in a local code page such as GBK, they are decoded with the encoding you pick and written back as UTF-8, so the new zip shows correct names on Windows, macOS and Linux alike.

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