This is where most people fail. Do not zip the parent folder.
If you manage many files or need a batch conversion, use this PowerShell (Windows) or Terminal (Mac/Linux) script. convert zip to sb3 fix
For Windows PowerShell:
# Convert all ZIPs in a folder to SB3
Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\YourFolder" -Filter *.zip | ForEach-Object
$newName = $_.FullName -replace ".zip$", ".sb3"
Rename-Item -Path $_.FullName -NewName $newName
For Mac/Linux Terminal:
# Batch rename
for f in *.zip; do mv "$f" "$f%.zip.sb3"; done
Note: This only fixes extension issues. It will NOT fix double-zipped or corrupted files. This is where most people fail
Drag the .sb3 file directly into the Scratch 3.0 editor (https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/editor). Assets missing or renamed:
A user downloads a Scratch project from an online backup but it’s saved as game.zip instead of game.sb3. Dragging it into Scratch fails. Your tool fixes the internal structure and outputs a working game.sb3.