# Read binary file

**URL:** <https://community.n8n.io/t/read-binary-file/35420>\
**Category:** Questions\
**Tags:** merge\
**Created:** [January 17, 2024, 9:48am UTC](https://community.n8n.io/t/read-binary-file/35420 "2024-01-17T09:48:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![BenJ](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/n8n/user_avatar/community.n8n.io/benj/32/28342_2.png) [@BenJ](https://community.n8n.io/u/BenJ)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 9:48am UTC](https://community.n8n.io/t/read-binary-file/35420/1 "2024-01-17T09:48:54Z")

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Hi everyone,

I would like to decompress a Zip file in my n8n workflow with the node “Compression”. It works if I put the node Compression just after my node which returns the ZIP file. But my workflow is built as the nodes are separeted by 2 nodes, so I would like to know how to acces a binary data when it is returned 3 nodes back.  
Here is my error :

 ![image](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/n8n/original/3X/2/1/21ed98a88a361a68cb63c2e82f0e69ffc9acc6ab.png)

And here is my workflow :

 ![image](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/n8n/original/3X/9/b/9b7f7adfedd71edfa17a0fdcc373ee58077d0f4f.png)

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**Author:** ![n8n](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/n8n/user_avatar/community.n8n.io/n8n/32/196425_2.png) [@n8n](https://community.n8n.io/u/n8n)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 9:48am UTC](https://community.n8n.io/t/read-binary-file/35420/2 "2024-01-17T09:48:55Z")

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It looks like your topic is missing some important information. Could you provide the following if applicable.

- **n8n version:**
- **Database (default: SQLite):**
- **n8n EXECUTIONS\_PROCESS setting (default: own, main):**
- **Running n8n via (Docker, npm, n8n cloud, desktop app):**
- **Operating system:**

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**Author:** ![Imperol](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/n8n/user_avatar/community.n8n.io/imperol/32/40883_2.png) [@Imperol](https://community.n8n.io/u/Imperol)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 8:30pm UTC](https://community.n8n.io/t/read-binary-file/35420/3 "2024-01-17T20:30:20Z")

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Use the object in the IF node to check if it exists or not. Update to lates version if you ae not

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**Author:** ![BenJ](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/n8n/user_avatar/community.n8n.io/benj/32/28342_2.png) [@BenJ](https://community.n8n.io/u/BenJ)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 1:02pm UTC](https://community.n8n.io/t/read-binary-file/35420/4 "2024-01-18T13:02:41Z")

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Hi @Imperol,

It doesn’t work, the node IF returns the JSON of the node “storeFile”, but I want to have the binary data from the node “loopOnPJ”.

Thanks

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**Author:** ![MutedJam](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/n8n/user_avatar/community.n8n.io/mutedjam/32/70851_2.png) [@MutedJam](https://community.n8n.io/u/MutedJam)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 11:04am UTC](https://community.n8n.io/t/read-binary-file/35420/5 "2024-01-22T11:04:08Z")

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Hi @BenJ, you would need to use a Merge node (with _Mode_ set to `Combine` and and _Combination Mode_ set to `Merge By Position`) in this case to combine the output of two separate nodes (storeFile and loopOnPJ" in your case).

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**Author:** ![system](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/n8n/user_avatar/community.n8n.io/system/32/195824_2.png) [@system](https://community.n8n.io/u/system)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 9:36am UTC](https://community.n8n.io/t/read-binary-file/35420/6 "2024-01-31T09:36:57Z")

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Closed on January 31, 2024, 9:36am UTC

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