How to open .CBZ files (comic book archives) on Android, Windows and Linux

Q: How do I convert CBR to CBZ?

Folders can do it: rename a copy of the .cbr to .rar, open it and choose Extract all. Select the extracted images, choose Compress to ZIP, then rename the new .zip to .cbz.

What .cbz, .cbr, .cb7 and .cbt files are and how to open and read CBZ, CBR, CB7 and CBT comics and manga for free on Android, Windows and Linux, page by page.

Satyam Mishra6 November 20264 min read

Cover: Folders' comic reader on two phones, labelled .CBZ

Digital comics, manga and graphic novels very often come as .cbz or .cbr files: from DRM-free comic shops, bundle sales, scans of your own collection or webcomic archives. Double-click one on Windows and nothing happens; on Android you’re told no app can open it.

Folders has a comic reader built in. It opens CBZ, CBR, CB7 and CBT files page by page on Android, Windows and Linux, free and offline.

What is a .cbz file?

A comic book archive is simply an ordinary archive full of pictures, one per page, given a different extension so that comic readers know to show it as a book. There’s no special comic format inside: just JPEG, PNG or WebP images, numbered in reading order (001.jpg, 002.jpg…). The idea was popularised by early Windows comic viewers such as CDisplay, and it stuck because anyone can make one with a normal archiving tool.

The last letter of the extension tells you which kind of archive it is:

Extension	What it is
.cbz	Comic in a ZIP archive, the most widely supported
.cbr	Comic in a RAR archive
.cb7	Comic in a 7z archive
.cbt	Comic in a TAR archive

Many CBZ files also carry a small ComicInfo.xml file with the series, issue number, writer and artist. It started with the ComicRack reader and is now read by most comic library apps.

CBZ is the friendliest choice for sharing: ZIP is understood everywhere, whereas RAR archives can only be created with WinRAR’s tools (though plenty of free programs can open them).

How to open a .cbz file with Folders

On Android

Install Folders from the download section and allow access to your files.
Go to the folder with your comics, or search for the title or .cbz.
Tap a comic. The comic reader opens on the first page.
If it came through a chat, browser or cloud app, choose Open with → Folders.

On Windows and Linux

Install Folders and browse to your comics folder.
Open the file to start reading. A computer screen suits two-page spreads.
On Windows, right-click the comic in File Explorer and choose Open with → Folders, which the installer adds for the types it opens.

What you can do with it in Folders

Read page by page, in the order the pages are numbered inside the archive.
Choose the page layout: single pages, or two-page spreads, which suit double-page artwork, tablets and wide monitors.
Password-protected archives: if the comic’s archive has a password, Folders asks for it.
Get the pictures out. Rename a copy of a .cbz to .zip (or a .cbr to .rar) and open it in Folders as an archive. There you can tap a single page, or use Extract all to unpack every image.

Other ways to open .cbz files

YACReader, a free comic reader and library for Windows and Linux.
CDisplayEx, a free comic reader for Windows.
Perfect Viewer, a popular comic reader app for Android.
Any archive tool (7-Zip, WinRAR or your Linux archive manager) to unpack the images and view them in a photo viewer.

Problems opening a .cbz file?

It asks for a password you don’t have. The archive was locked by whoever made it. Only the source can give you the password.
The last pages are missing or it won’t open. The download stopped early, so the end of the archive is missing. Download it again and check the file size matches.
Some pages don’t appear. Folders shows pages in the common picture formats (JPEG, PNG, WebP and the like). An archive with pages in a rare format, such as JPEG XL, or with PDF pages inside, won’t show those as pages. Extract the files to see what’s actually in there.
It’s really a PDF. Some comics are sold as PDFs instead. Those open in Folders’ PDF viewer.

Questions people ask

How do I open a CBR file on Windows? Install Folders, then open the .cbr from Folders or right-click it in File Explorer and choose Open with → Folders. It reads RAR-based comics without WinRAR installed.

How do I convert CBR to CBZ? Folders can do it: rename a copy of the .cbr to .rar, open it and choose Extract all. Select the extracted images, choose Compress to ZIP, then rename the new .zip to .cbz.

Can I read comics on an Android phone? Yes. Folders opens CBZ, CBR, CB7 and CBT comics on Android 7.0 and newer, offline and with no account.

CBZ vs CBR: what’s the difference? Only the archive inside: ZIP for CBZ, RAR for CBR. The pages are the same pictures. CBZ is easier to create and edit with free tools, so it’s the better choice when you make your own.