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Independent review. Unpack Report is not affiliated with Keka or its developer, aONe. Facts checked against keka.io and the Mac App Store on September 24, 2026. Disclaimer
Review › How-to

From download to first archive in five minutes

A practical walkthrough of the four things people actually do with Keka, plus the settings worth changing on day one.

By Unpack Report editorialUpdated September 24, 2026Reading time 6–9 min
Review

Install and set defaults

  1. Download or buy

    keka.io › Download gives a DMG; open it and drag Keka to Applications. Or buy on the Mac App Store. Homebrew users: brew install --cask keka.

  2. Open once and pick a format

    The main window shows the default format (7z), compression level and toggles. Set Zip if most of your recipients are on Windows without extra software.

  3. Make it the default opener

    Preferences › Extraction › “Set Keka as default application”. App Store users install KekaExternalHelper for this step.

  4. Choose where extractions go

    Preferences › Extraction: next to the archive (default), a fixed folder such as Downloads, or ask each time. Optionally delete the archive after extraction.

Compress and encrypt

  1. Select the files

    In Finder, select a folder or several files.

  2. Drop them on Keka

    On the window or the Dock icon. To set a password, tick Encrypt in the window first, or right-click the Dock icon for a quick format switch.

  3. Enter the password

    For 7z, also tick “Encrypt file names” so the listing is hidden. Use a passphrase of 16+ characters.

  4. Split if needed

    Tick Split and enter a size. 20 MB is safe for most email gateways.

  5. Send

    Share the archive and the password through different channels.

Extract

If Keka is the default for the type, double-click the archive. It extracts to the location set in Preferences and, if enabled, opens the result in Finder. Password archives prompt.

Drop any archive on the window or Dock icon. Keka detects the type by content, not just extension, so a mislabeled .zip that is really a 7z still opens.

Put all parts in one folder and open the first (.001, .part1.rar, .z01 + .zip). Keka joins them. A missing part stops with a clear error naming the part.

Shortcuts and scripts

Keyboard shortcut: System Settings › Keyboard › Keyboard Shortcuts › Services, find Compress with Keka and Extract with Keka, assign keys.

Scripts: the 7zz binary bundled in Keka.app can be called from Terminal or Automator: /Applications/Keka.app/Contents/MacOS/7zz a backup.7z ~/Documents. It is the same 7-Zip you would install with Homebrew, so its documentation applies.

MDM deployment: the free DMG is signed and notarized; deploy it like any other app. No license keys to manage.