ArchivePeek – browse archives in Finder

Open zip/rar in Finder without extracting or waiting

Problem

A developer who switched from Windows to Mac 15 years ago still finds it annoying that you can't browse archives properly in Finder the way File Explorer does. Opening or extracting a large archive takes a long time, especially compared with just peeking inside.

Solution

A macOS menu-bar/Finder extension that mounts or previews archives as read-only volumes, supports zip/rar/7z/tar, opens instantly, and lets users drag files out without a temp extraction directory.

Users

macOS developers, designers, ops and office users who handle archives often

MVP

Support zip and tar only; right-click Quick Look shows the file tree; drag a single file out; no format conversion, no encrypted archives

Revenue

$9.99 one-time or $2/month subscription; distribute via Mac App Store or direct, pitch to Setapp

Why now

Native macOS archiving still lacks true browsing and third-party attempts leave format/performance gaps; system APIs make a useful MVP feasible for one developer