ARCHIVED: In Mac OS and Mac OS X, how do I use StuffIt products to decode encoded files and expand compressed files?

StuffIt has two applications for Mac OS and Mac OS X for decoding stuffed files: StuffIt Deluxe and StuffIt Expander. StuffIt Deluxe is a commercial product available from Smith Micro. StuffIt Expander is freeware and is bundled with some versions of Mac OS and Mac OS X. If you do not have it, you may download this program from Smith Micro's StuffIt Expander web site.

StuffIt Expander and StuffIt Deluxe can access the following file formats:

Using StuffIt Deluxe

If you drag and drop a stuffed archive over the StuffIt Deluxe icon, a window will open that contains the contents of the stuffed archive. Drag items out of the window or double-click them to unstuff them. This allows you to unstuff only parts of the archive rather than the whole archive.

Using StuffIt Expander

You can decode a compressed or encoded file with StuffIt Expander in several ways:

• Double-click the icon of the file. On many systems, StuffIt Expander will launch and decode the file.
  
  
• Using your mouse, click and hold the icon of the file, and drag it over the icon of StuffIt Expander. When StuffIt Expander's icon darkens, release the mouse button. StuffIt Expander will open and decode the file, and then quit.
  
  
• Double-click StuffIt Expander's icon, and wait for it to open. From the File menu, select Expand, and in the window that appears, find the file you want to decode. StuffIt Expander will then decode the file.
  
  
• With StuffIt Expander open, from the Window menu, select Drag Window. To expand your file, drag it into the Expander window that opens.

Once StuffIt Expander has finished, it usually places the decoded file in the same folder as the original version. However, if none of the above options work, your file may be corrupt.

Note: To correctly decode MacBinary III files, you must have version 5.0 or later of StuffIt Expander. Older versions will work to some extent, but cannot extract icon badges or routing information from MacBinary III.

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