How to Fix Safari Automatically Unzip Files

If you download a WordPress plugin or theme using Safari on macOS and get a folder instead of a .zip file, Safari's automatic file-opening behavior has extracted the archive. The WordPress upload or install action may remain greyed out when you try to select that folder: the dashboard uploader requires a .zip archive, not an extracted folder.

Use either of these options to get a ZIP file you can upload:

Re-compress the folder Safari already extracted

1. Open Finder, the Mac app for browsing files, and locate the extracted plugin or theme folder in your download location.
2. Control-click the folder (hold Control while clicking), then choose Compress from the shortcut menu. Select the whole plugin or theme folder, not just the files inside it.
3. Finder creates an archive with the folder's name followed by .zip. Return to the WordPress uploader and select this new .zip file.

Stop automatic extraction and download again

1. Open Safari and choose Safari > Settings from the menu bar.
2. Click General.
3. Deselect Open “safe” files after downloading.
4. Download the plugin or theme package again. Leave the downloaded .zip file unopened so it stays compressed, then select it in the WordPress uploader.

Whichever option you choose, the file selected in WordPress should end in .zip; do not select the extracted folder. For the full plugin installation procedure, see How to install WordPress plugins.