Stop Safari from Automatically Unzipping Downloads

Why this matters

By default, Safari opens "safe" files after downloading — which includes unzipping .zip archives. If you're downloading a WordPress plugin like Linkilo, this gets in the way:

• The zip turns into an unzipped folder
• WordPress's plugin uploader expects a .zip, not a folder
• You end up with errors like PCLZIP_ERR_BAD_FORMAT (-10)

How to disable auto-unzip

1. Open Safari
2. Safari → Preferences (or Settings on newer macOS)
3. Open the General tab
4. Uncheck "Open 'safe' files after downloading"

From now on, Safari leaves your downloads as-is — you decide what to do with them.

What if Safari already unzipped your plugin?

If you've already downloaded Linkilo and Safari unzipped it:

• The unzipped folder is still useful — you can FTP it directly into /wp-content/plugins/
• Or right-click the folder → Compress → you'll get a fresh .zip to upload via WordPress

Or just re-download from your Linkilo account with the new Safari setting in place.