# Extract files from ASiC-E: four methods compared

> There is more than one way to extract files from ASiC-E containers. They all give you the documents; they differ in what else they tell you along the way.

Source: https://asiceviewer.com/en/blog/extract-files-from-asice/
Published: 2026-11-10 · Digixy

## In short

- A viewer extracts and shows signatures and integrity.
- A ZIP tool extracts but tells you nothing about signatures.
- The command line suits scripts and bulk work.

## Method 1: a browser viewer

Drop the container onto [ASiCE Viewer](https://asiceviewer.com/en/#tool) and use the download icons or **Download all (ZIP)**. You also see who signed and whether the files match the signatures. No installation.

## Method 2: DigiDoc4

Open the container, select a file and choose to save it to disk. You get the official validity status as well. Requires installation.

## Method 3: rename to .zip

1. Make a copy of the container.
2. Change the copy's extension from `.asice` to `.zip`.
3. Open it with the system's archive tool and extract.

You will see the documents and a `META-INF` folder. It works because the container is a ZIP archive.

## Method 4: command line

- `unzip contract.asice -d contract` on Linux and macOS;
- `tar -xf contract.asice` in Windows Terminal;
- `7z x contract.asice` with 7-Zip.

Add a loop and you can unpack a whole folder of containers.

## Comparison

| | Viewer | DigiDoc4 | Rename to ZIP | Command line |
| Installation | None | Yes | None | Usually present |
| Shows signers | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Integrity check | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Official validity | No | Yes | No | No |
| Decodes DDOC | Yes | Yes | No, DDOC is not a ZIP | No |
| Good for bulk | Several at once | One at a time | Tedious | Best |

## What ZIP methods miss

A ZIP tool treats the container as an anonymous archive. It will happily extract a document that was modified after signing, with no warning. If the reason you are extracting is to rely on the content, use a method that checks integrity, or verify a digest yourself as shown in [ASiC-E file reader](https://asiceviewer.com/en/blog/asice-file-reader/).

## File names with accents

Older archive tools sometimes garble non-ASCII names. If `Üürileping.pdf` comes out as `??rileping.pdf`, extract with a viewer instead; it decodes names as UTF-8 with a fallback to the Baltic code page.

## Never extract and repack

Extract, read, use. Do not zip the folder back up and rename it to `.asice`: the result is not a valid container, because the `mimetype` entry must come first and uncompressed, and any change to a document breaks the signatures.

## On the move

The [ASiC-E Viewer app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.digixy.asiceviewer&hl=en&referrer=utm_source%3Dasiceviewer.com%26utm_medium%3Dblog-md) extracts documents on Android without a connection. The one-click route is described in [ASiC-E extractor](https://asiceviewer.com/en/blog/asice-extractor/).

## Frequently asked questions

**Is it safe to rename an .asice file to .zip?**

Yes, if you rename a copy. The content is not changed by renaming.

**Can I extract files from many containers at once?**

With a command-line loop, or by dropping several containers onto the viewer and saving each one's documents.

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Open your .asice file now: https://asiceviewer.com/en/
ASiC-E Viewer on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.digixy.asiceviewer