CAB File Viewer & Extractor

Open Microsoft Cabinet (.cab) files in your browser and extract cab files without 7-Zip or admin rights. Peek inside driver packages and Windows Update cabinets, read INF and XML files, then pull out just the drivers or DLLs you need - nothing is uploaded. Want the icons from an extracted program? Hand it to the EXE Icon Extractor or DLL Icon Extractor.

Try a sample
Drivers and updates Readable INF files No upload
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How to extract a CAB file online

  1. Open the CAB file. Drop the .cab file anywhere on this page, click to browse or paste it. Got a .msu update? Open it here and then open the .cab inside.
  2. Browse the cabinet. Walk through the folders, sort by name, size or date, or search with wildcards such as *.inf or *.sys.
  3. Preview the files. Click an INF, XML or text file to read it - the text encoding is detected for you. Images and media play right away.
  4. Extract what you need. Download single files, tick several and get one ZIP, or extract the whole cabinet - in Chrome and Edge straight into a folder.

Keyboard shortcuts

  • Search file namesCtrl + F
  • Move through the list↑ ↓ Home End
  • Open folder or previewEnter
  • Up one folderBackspace
  • Select / unselectSpace
  • Previous / next preview← →
  • Open another archiveCtrl + O
  • Close the previewEsc

CAB viewer features

No 7-Zip, no admin

Works on locked-down work PCs, Macs, Chromebooks and phones - nothing to install.

Drivers and updates

Driver packs, Windows Update cabinets and installer payloads - see the INF, SYS, DLL and CAT files inside.

Readable INF files

INF and XML files are often UTF-16. The preview detects the encoding, so they read cleanly.

Real cabinet details

Compression per folder (MSZIP, LZX with window size), file attributes and dates, and set information.

Extract your way

One file, a selection or everything - as a ZIP with a README or straight into a folder.

100% private

The cabinet is unpacked by WebAssembly in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

Where CAB files come from

You rarely make a CAB file yourself - Windows and installers do.

These are the places you are most likely to meet one.

  • Drivers - Microsoft Update Catalog and many hardware makers ship drivers as a .cab with an INF, a SYS and a signed CAT file inside.
  • Windows updates - .msu packages are cabinets that wrap more cabinets. Open the outer one here, then click the inner .cab.
  • Installers - setup programs often unpack a data1.cab or similar next to themselves. Old software came on floppy disks full of numbered cabinets.
  • Fonts, themes and Office add-ins - some are delivered as cabinets, too.

Found an .exe or .dll inside? Pull its icons with the EXE Icon Extractor or DLL Icon Extractor, and turn them into favicons with Image to ICO.

CAB compression: MSZIP, LZX and Quantum

A cabinet is split into "folders" - compressed streams that hold one or more files.

Each folder uses one of these methods, and the viewer shows which.

MethodUsed byOpens here
MSZIPMost driver and update cabinets - Deflate, like ZIPYes
LZXWindows setup files, Office, big installers - smaller outputYes
None (stored)Cabinets that only bundle filesYes
QuantumA few 1990s installersListed only - use expand.exe or 7-Zip

CAB files have no password protection, so there is never a password to ask for. Driver cabinets are often signed through their CAT file - Windows checks that signature when you install the driver.

Multi-cabinet sets

Big installers used to split one archive across several cabinets, such as disk1.cab, disk2.cab and so on.

A file can start at the end of one part and finish in the next.

Every part opens here: you see its files, which part of the set it is, and the names of the previous and next cabinets. To unpack a whole set, put all parts in one folder and run expand -F:* disk1.cab C:\target on Windows, or open the first part with 7-Zip.

CAB vs ZIP vs MSI

CAB and ZIP do the same job - pack many files into one.

CAB compresses better because files in a folder share one stream, while ZIP can hand out any single file instantly.

  • ZIP is the universal choice for sharing - open one with the ZIP File Viewer or make one with the Archive Creator.
  • MSI is an installer database, not an archive, though it often carries cabinets inside. 7-Zip or msiexec /a unpacks it.
  • ISO disc images often contain cabinets - open the image with the ISO File Viewer and click a .cab to look inside.

Have a 7z or RAR instead? The 7Z File Viewer and Archive Viewer open those. Browse all file viewers for other formats.

Frequently Asked Questions

CAB (cabinet) is Microsoft's compressed archive format. Windows uses it for drivers, Windows Update packages, installers and system files, and older software came on disks full of .cab files.

It works like a ZIP: many files packed into one, usually with MSZIP or LZX compression.

Drop the .cab file onto this page, then download single files or press Extract all to get everything as one ZIP.

It runs in the browser, so it works without admin rights and on Mac, Linux and Chromebooks too.

Open the cabinet and search for *.inf to find the driver's setup file, then extract the whole cabinet into a folder.

In Windows Device Manager choose Update driver, then Browse my computer, and point it at that folder - Windows reads the INF and installs the matching SYS and CAT files.

Yes. An .msu file is a cabinet itself, so it opens here and shows the .cab and XML files inside.

Click the inner .cab to open it in place and browse the actual update payload.

Old installers split one big cabinet across several files. Each part opens here and lists its files, but a set has to be unpacked with all parts together - use expand -F:* first.cab . on Windows, or 7-Zip with every part in one folder.

The viewer shows which part you have and the names of the previous and next ones.

Not directly. An MSI installer is a database file, not a cabinet, although it often contains cabinets inside.

If you drop an MSI here you are told what it is - 7-Zip or msiexec /a on Windows can unpack it.

No. The cabinet is read and unpacked by your own browser and never leaves your device.

That makes it safe to use with company drivers or internal installers.

Guides & Tutorials

All 14 guides
Guide How to Tell What Format an Image File Is (5 Easy Ways) Read the guide Guide How to Open ZIP, RAR, 7Z & TAR.GZ Files Online (Without Installing Anything) Read the guide Comparison PNG vs JPG: Which Image Format Should You Actually Use? Read the guide