How to make a ZIP file on a Mac

How to make a ZIP file on a Mac 

you may want to know how to use these files to transmit data, whether for work or personal use. Here is how to make a ZIP file on a Mac.

So, what is a ZIP file?

When you need to send lots of data, you might be distraught at how long it takes. This can be especially troublesome with music or video files, which, depending on the format, could take hours to upload or download. The way around this is to compress the files, either by eliminating redundancies in the files, which can then by recreated (lossless compression) or by cutting out unnecessary bits, albeit at the cost of a perfect replica (lossy). Compressed files are packed into various archive formats such as RAR and ZIP. When you download a compressed file, you will need to extract the contents — or “unzip” them — in order to access them.

How to create a ZIP file on a Mac

Creating a ZIP file on a Mac is quick and easy, as MacOS contains a built-in utility for compressing or unzipping files.

First, find a file or group of files you want to compress. For a single file, simply right-click it and select Compress [file name].

You will see a ZIP file appear in the same folder as the original, which will still be present.

To compress multiple files into one ZIP file, select them all, then right-click and select Compress X items, with X being the number of highlighted files.

A single Archive file will appear in the folder the originals are in.

How to unzip a file

Unzipping a ZIP file is about as easy as creating one. Simply right-click the file in question, hover over Open With, and choose Archive Utility (or a third-party unzipping program, if you have one).

MacOS will automatically create a new folder containing the zipped files in the same location as the ZIP file. If you want to secure your ZIP files with a password, we have a guide for that, too.

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Need to zip files in Windows 10? It’s easy – and no new software required

Need to zip files in Windows 10? It’s easy – and no new software required 

If sharing large photos or video filesis part of your daily workflow, you know that file compression is a big part of the process. For instance, if you want to email a large batch of photographs captured during a trip, sending all those files as they are may take a long time to transmit and receive. Plus, the photos will eat up precious space in your outbound box as well as the recipient’s inbox. The same goes if you’re using a cloud service like Dropbox or Google Drive.

In the old days, you were forced to rely on third-party software to compress and un-compress files. You can still use those programs today, but Microsoft baked file compression capability into Windows back in 1998. While Windows 10 (as well as MacOSand ChromeOS) has you covered for ZIP compression, you’ll have to turn to third-party software for file compression formats such as RAR and 7z.

Unpacking a ZIP file is extremely easy, but packing a ZIP-based suitcase for your files isn’t quite as obvious. We’ll first show you how to compress a file in Windows 10, followed by an entire folder. After that, we will demonstrate how to unpack a ZIP file, so that you can get access to the uncompressed files again. Let’s get started!

ZIP A SINGLE FILE

You’ll want to use this method if a single file is extremely large, such as video shot with a smartphone or digital camera.

1. Locate File Explorer on the Windows 10 taskbar (the folder icon).
2. Locate the file you want to compress.
3. Right-click on the file.
4. Select Send to on the menu.
5. Select Compressed (zipped) folder in the next menu.
6. Rename your new ZIP file, and press the Enter key.

ZIP MULTIPLE FILES

This method is handy for cramming multiple files together, for both size and organizational reasons. This is smart idea when you’re sending files, and also just to keep files together to free up disk space.

1. Locate File Explorer on the Windows 10 taskbar (the folder icon).
2. Locate the files you want to add to a single ZIP file.
3. Select all files by holding down the mouse button and dragging the pointer across the screen. Your mouse will create a blue selection box. All files within this box are highlighted with a light blue color.
4. Release the mouse button and right-click on the light blue highlighted files.
5. Select Send to on the menu.
6. Select Compressed (zipped) folder in the next menu.
7. Rename your new ZIP file, and press the Enter key.

ZIP an entire folder

If you want multiple files in a single folder, this is the method you choose. When unpacked, all files will unload in a folder created during the compression process.

1. Locate File Explorer on the Windows 10 taskbar (the folder icon).
2. Locate the folder you want to add to a single ZIP file.
3. Right-click on the folder.
4. Select Send to on the menu.
5. Select Compressed (zipped) folder in the next menu.
6. Rename your new ZIP file and press the Enter key.

Finally, let’s demonstrate how you can unpack a ZIP file in Windows 10.

UNPACK A ZIP FILE

Zipping files is only helpful if you can extract them as well. Windows 10 uses an algorithm to scan your file, temporarily remove all repetitive information, and create a new file with a smaller size and a new file extension: ZIP. To revert the file back to its former state, Windows 10 scans the file to see what was removed, and inserts the repetitive information back into the file. Here’s how to do it:

1. Locate File Explorer on the Windows 10 taskbar (the folder icon).
2. Locate the file you want to decompress.
3. Right-click on the file.
4. Select Extract all on the menu.
5. On the next pop-up screen, select where you want Windows 10 to unload the files.
6. Once you choose a location, click the Select Folder
7. Finally, click the Extract button.

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