unpkg

The utility extracts every file contained in macOS installer packages (.pkg) and metapackages (.mpkg) without executing any installation steps. Users simply drag a package onto the application, which creates a folder named after the package (or uses the Desktop) and copies all archived items there. It works with both legacy (pre‑10.5) and modern package formats, handling nested archives and malformed files gracefully, and it does not require administrator privileges.

It is aimed at developers, system administrators, and power users who need to inspect or retrieve individual components—such as kernel extensions—from installers without altering the system. The tool’s design avoids any system modifications beyond the destination folder, making it unsuitable for applying OS updates but useful for extracting specific resources.

The program runs on macOS from version 10.4 up to recent releases, supporting both Intel and Apple Silicon architectures through a universal binary. It is distributed under the GNU GPL and is available as a downloadable DMG or ZIP package.