FormatDrop
Document Format

CBZ

Comic Book ZIP Archive

CBZ is a simple comic book archive format — a ZIP file renamed with a .cbz extension containing sequentially numbered image files (JPG, PNG, or WebP). Comic readers display the images in order, simulating flipping through a comic book. CBZ is one of the most widely supported comic formats, recognised by every major comic reader app on desktop, mobile, and e-readers. Its sibling format CBR uses a RAR archive instead of ZIP.

What is CBZ?

CBZ has no special internal structure — it's literally a .zip file with image files inside, renamed to .cbz. Comic reader applications (Comix, CDisplayEx, Panels, Chunky, KOReader, Calibre) recognise the extension and display the images as sequential comic pages. Pages are sorted alphabetically or numerically by filename. JPEG is the most common image format inside CBZ due to file size, though PNG is used for lossless quality and WebP for newer optimised archives. CBZ is part of a family: CBR (RAR), CB7 (7-Zip), and CBT (TAR).

CBZ pros and cons

Advantages

  • No special software needed to create — just ZIP images and rename
  • Universal support across all comic reader apps
  • ZIP format is freely available without licensing (unlike RAR)
  • Easy to inspect and modify — extract the ZIP to access individual pages
  • Supports any image format inside (JPG, PNG, WebP)
  • No DRM, encryption, or proprietary restrictions

Limitations

  • No embedded metadata standard — titles, authors vary by app
  • No vector graphics support — pages are always raster images
  • Large file sizes for high-resolution scans (no content-aware compression)
  • No native page navigation beyond sequential order in most apps

When should you convert CBZ files?

Convert PDF to CBZ when you want to read a comic in a dedicated comic reader app that doesn't support PDF, or when you want smaller, more navigable files. Convert CBZ to PDF when you need to share a comic with people who don't have a comic reader — PDF is universally viewable. Convert CBR to CBZ to avoid needing RAR extraction tools — CBZ uses ZIP which every OS supports natively. Create CBZ from scanned images by numbering them sequentially (001.jpg, 002.jpg...), zipping them, and renaming the .zip to .cbz.

All FormatDrop conversions run entirely in your browser — no file upload, no server processing. Your files stay on your device.

CBZ FAQ

How do I open a CBZ file?
Windows: CDisplayEx (free, Windows-only), or rename to .zip and extract. Mac: Panels, Comix, YACReader (free). iOS: Chunky Reader, Panels, Comics. Android: Perfect Viewer, ComiCat, MoonReader. Cross-platform: Calibre (with comic plugin), KOReader. All comic reader apps support CBZ — it's the most universally compatible format.
How do I create a CBZ file?
1. Collect your page images and name them sequentially: 001.jpg, 002.jpg, 003.jpg (the leading zeros ensure correct sort order). 2. Select all image files (not the folder containing them). 3. Compress to a ZIP archive. 4. Rename the .zip file to .cbz. That's it — any comic reader will now open it. On Mac: right-click → Compress. On Windows: right-click → Send to → Compressed (zipped) folder.
What is the difference between CBZ and CBR?
CBZ uses ZIP compression (free, universally available). CBR uses RAR compression (proprietary, requires WinRAR or 7-Zip to create). Both display identically in comic readers. CBZ is preferred for new archives because ZIP tools come with every operating system. CBR archives are still common because many existing comic archives use it.
Can I read CBZ on a Kindle?
Standard Kindles don't support CBZ natively. Options: convert CBZ to MOBI or AZW3 using Calibre, or use KOReader (a custom firmware/app for Kindle devices that supports CBZ, PDF, EPUB, and more). Dedicated e-ink comic readers like Kindle Fire or Boox support CBZ natively.

More formats

HEICWebPAVIFEPUBWebMOpusMP3WAVM4AFLACAACMP4AVIMKVMOVJPGPNGGIFSVGTIFFICOBMPEPSARWOGGWMVPPTXPagesPDFDOCXRAWHEVCH.264AIFFM4VWMA3GPDNGRTFPSDOGVTSFLVAIXLSXCSVZIPAPNGMIDIJPEG XLMPG/MPEGVOBM2TSAC3ALACDTSJP2HEIFAPE3G2SRTDOCPPTXLSODTODSM3URAR7ZM4BAMRTXTMOBITARGZJSONXMLYAMLKEYMTSCR2NEFMXFTGACAFASSVTTDSFRMF4VWVASFRMVBORFRW2EAC-3TTA