Pacifist

Pacifist is a macOS utility for inspecting and extracting files from package installers (.pkg, .mpkg), disk images (.dmg), and archives (.zip, .tar, .gz, and others). It lets users examine package contents before installation, inspect install scripts, view archive previews directly from Finder via QuickLook, and extract individual files without installing entire packages. It is widely used by system administrators, power users, and anyone who needs to audit or selectively restore files from macOS installers and archives. Pacifist also includes a command-line interface for automation. The QuickLook generator component enables preview of supported archive types directly in Finder.</description> <parameter name="recommendation">The Pacifist QuickLook generator is a system extension component bundled inside the main Pacifist application — it is not separately installable or updatable. Pacifist itself ships with full native Apple Silicon support as of version 4, released in late 2021 and built in Swift 5. To ensure the QuickLook generator is native, update the parent Pacifist application to the latest version from Charlessoft's website (charlessoft.com). Simply download and install the current Pacifist release; the QuickLook extension will be updated automatically as part of the main application bundle. You may need to restart Finder or log out and back in for the updated QuickLook generator to take effect. Since Pacifist is actively maintained and already ships native Apple Silicon builds, there are no compatibility concerns ahead of the macOS 28 transition in September 2028.</recommendation> <parameter name="recommendation_url">https://www.charlessoft.com/