If you have challenges zipping your file and you have spent several days looking for resources online until reading this article, you are at the right place.
In this article, we will be covering all you need on how to zip a file on Windows, macOS, Linux, and more.
What does it mean to Zip a File?
Zip is a versatile file format that is used to encrypt, compress, store and send multiple files as one. Basically, Select “Compressed (zipped) folder”. To place multiple files into a zip folder, select all of the files while hitting the Ctrl button. Then, right-click on one of the files, move your cursor over the “Send to” option and select “Compressed (zipped) folder”.
Now, zipping a file is a way to compress a file to make it easier to send. A zipped file contains one or more compressed files which is an effective way to save up space on your computer and these zipped files can easily be shared amongst computers.
This technique is useful for larger files, as many cloud-sharing and email services have a maximum limit for data and the number of files you may upload.
The file extension usually depends on the compression algorithm. The most common ones include.Gzip, .RAR, .TAR, .GZ, .ISO, .IMG, .CAB and. Uuencode.
How to Zip a File
There are different ways to zip a file depending on your device’s operating system. The most commonly used operating systems are Microsoft Windows and macOS, so today, we are going to learn how to zip a file on these two.
How to Zip a File on:
Windows
- Create a folder and rename it. This is to make it easier to locate the zipped files
- Move all the files you would like to zip into your newly created folder.
- Right-click on the folder, and choose Send to from the list of options.
- A pop up menu would appear, choose Compressed (zipped) folder and voila!, your files have been zipped. Once it is complete, the zip file would appear in the same location as the original folder.
Simple, right?
Yes, it is that simple.
macOS
The process of zipping a file on a macOS is essentially similar to that of windows. Now, let’s go through the steps.
- Create a folder and rename it.
- Right-click on the folder
- From the options, select the compressed folder to create a zip file. Just like windows, your zip file would appear in the same location as the original folder.
How to zip files on Chromebook
1. In the Files app, select all of the files that you want to zip. You can either drag a box around them, or hold Ctrl and click each one individually.
2. Right-click one of the files and select Zip selection.
3. A ZIP file will appear containing all the compressed data. Feel free to rename or move this file however you’d like.
How to zip a file Windows 10
- Locate the file or folder that you want to zip.
- Press and hold (or right-click) the file or folder, select (or point to) Send to, and then select Compressed (zipped) folder. A new zipped folder with the same name is created in the same location.
How to zip a file in Linux
If you want to compress a file or folder in desktop Linux, it’s just a matter of a few clicks. Go to the folder where you have the desired files (and folders) you want to compress into one zip folder. Here, select the files and folders. Now, right-click and select Compress.
How to zip files on an Android
Below is the guide on zipping files on your android phone.
- Open the File Manager app and move all the flies you want to compress to a single folder.
- Tap on the three dots in the right-hand corner.
- Select all the items you want to zip, and at the bottom tap Compress.
- Then select Save and a new folder will be created with the compressed files
Conclusion
As you can see, creating a zip file is very easy, so try it out in case you are looking to free up some storage space on your computer’s hard drive.
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