CAB File Extractor Online

Browse Microsoft Cabinet and supported InstallShield cabinet files. Extract the files you need and download the recovered contents.

Drop your CAB file here

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How to open a CAB file online

  1. Upload your .cab file using the box above.
  2. Browse the extracted cabinet contents and open the files you want to inspect.
  3. Download individual files or save the completed result as a ZIP.

What is a Windows Cabinet file?

A Microsoft Cabinet file is a compressed archive used to distribute files for Windows software, drivers and updates. Opening the archive lets you inspect those files without installing the package. A cabinet may contain binaries, configuration, documentation and other resources.

This extractor handles Microsoft cabinets and selected InstallShield cabinets. Tested InstallShield layouts are versions 5, 6, 12 and 17 with stored or supported compressed files. Older compression, split files spanning volumes and arbitrary InstallShield setup EXE files are unsupported. Cabinet sets that require missing parts cannot be fully recovered.

Open an InstallShield data1.cab

If your download is a supported ZIP self-extracting EXE, such as the Dell driver packages R145551 and R114282, upload the original EXE directly. The service opens its ZIP payload and keeps bundled CAB/HDR companions together. Inner cabinet compatibility still applies: unsupported versions can remain unextracted while other packaged files are recovered.

Upload a complete standalone cabinet directly. If it needs data1.hdr or additional data2.cab volumes, put the supplied files together in a ZIP named package.installer.zip. Keep their original filenames and relative folders. Companion cabinets must use the dataN.cab naming convention and share a folder with data1.cab. Additional-volume support is limited to version 6 with whole files in separate volumes; files split across volumes cannot be recovered.

The result identifies missing metadata, missing volumes and unsupported members. Complete recovered files remain available even if another member fails. Supported inner archives and compiled payloads are processed in the same result; other files remain downloadable.

CAB files inside MSI packages

Windows Installer packages can contain embedded cabinets or reference external ones. If you have the MSI as well, the MSI extractor explains how to upload it together with its external CAB files. Cabinet members can use file IDs; extracting a CAB alone does not reconstruct the filenames and paths chosen by the MSI installer.

CAB extraction questions

How do I decompile a CAB file?

A CAB is an archive, so the first step is to extract its contents. Supported compiled files inside it, such as .NET assemblies, can then produce readable source. The cabinet itself has no program source to decompile.

Can I open a CAB file on Mac or Linux?

Yes. Use your browser to upload the cabinet and browse the result. You do not need a Windows machine or a local cabinet utility.

Does extracting a CAB install a driver or Windows update?

No. Extraction makes the packaged files available to inspect and download. It does not install drivers, apply updates or recreate a Windows CE installer project.

Why won't my data1.cab file open?

The filename alone does not identify the cabinet format. An InstallShield cabinet may need data1.hdr or other volumes, use an unsupported layout, or be damaged. Check the result's explanation. Supply the original companion files together in a .installer.zip bundle; the service never fetches missing files or runs the installer.

Extraction limits and partial results

Each upload shares a five-minute extraction and source-recovery budget, with up to 1 GiB of expanded data, 256 MiB per file, 100,000 entries and four nested layers. Worker limits can stop processing sooner. You can browse completed files while processing continues; a ZIP download becomes available when the job finishes.

If a format, version or file cannot be processed, the result explains the limitation and keeps files already recovered. Extraction does not recreate a complete buildable application or the original native source code.