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The ZIP file format explained

ZIP files are one of the most popular ways to save disk space and send large files and folders to other computers. The process for creating a ZIP file or folder is different depending on what device you’re using. We’ll explain how to zip files for Mac and Windows users. We will also offer methods for file storage and sharing that are more efficient and reliable.

How to Convert ZIP to PDF. Click inside the file drop area to upload ZIP files or drag & drop the files. You can upload one or a few ZIP documents for the operation. Click the 'Convert' button to start reforming files. Your ZIP files will be converted to PDF format. Wait a few seconds for the files' conversion to finish.

A ZIP file is one or more compressed files together in one location. When a file or folder is zipped, its contents are compressed. With redundant data removed, they need a lot less data to store and share. The process is called “lossless data compression”. Lossless meaning that while the file size is reduced, the file itself isn't affected. ZIP is a type of file archive. There are other formats, like RAR and 7-ZIP, but ZIP is the most common.

1. Change dmg to zip on Windows, Mac, Iphone or Android in a couple of clicks. Select files for conversion or drag and drop them to the upload area. Your files are securely protected and available only to you. All files are automatically deleted from our servers after 1 hour.
2. Set the “Chunk size” to a specific amount of KB, MB, or GB (select in the dropdown) Click Split. Drag your resulting split archives to anywhere on your Mac. As you can see, there are more than a few ways for how to turn a RAR file into a ZIP.
3. Jul 22, 2021 Locate the files that you want to compress and select files by Click + Drag to highlight or hold Shift key and Click each file. Right-click on selected files and choose “ Compress 3 items ” (number depends on the count of your files). Zip multiple files on mac. A zip file will be created with the name “ Archive.zip “.
4. Select files and/or folders you would like to use. Right click in the highlighted area and choose Send Selected Files ToNew Zip File (from Selected Files) In the Send Selected Files dialog you can: Change the name for the new Zip file. Select a Compression Type. Choose to Encrypt the files. Choose from among a large number of possible conversions.

Why should I zip files?

ZIP files can be useful if you’ve got a large group of files or even one massive file that you need to share. A lot of email clients won’t allow you to send huge files. So file compression is often seen as one of the best solutions for sending bigger data. You can also use ZIP files to encrypt private data before sending it online.

How to zip a folder or file on Mac

If you’re compressing many files together on a macOS, you’ll need to make sure they’re contained in the same folder. Create a new folder with only the files you wish to compress. You can then right-click or Ctrl-click that folder and select “Compress Items.” The .zip file will save in the same location of the original folder.

You may only want to compress certain files in a folder but not the entire folder. To do this, hold down the Command key and then click on whichever files you want zipped. When they’re all selected, right-click and select 'Compress [#] items.” All items will compress into a single ZIP file, called “archive.zip.” You can change the name by right-clicking the file and selecting Rename. It’s the same process if you only want to compress one file—right-click on it and select “Compress [filename].”

How to make a zip file on Windows 10

'Send To' is a similar process for Microsoft users. First, make sure all the files you’re compressing are in one folder. Next, right-click that folder, and then scroll to the “Send To” option. In the 'Send To” menu, you should see the “Compressed Folder” option. Click that, and your compressed file will save to your desktop.

Another way to zip files on Windows is to select the files you want compressed and, in the “Share” tab of File Explorer, locate and click the “Zip” button. You can do this on any Windows computer operating Windows 8.1 or higher. With older computers you’ll need to use the right-click and 'Send To' method.

How to unzip a ZIP file

To uncompress a zip file on Mac, double-click on it. You can also right-click on it, hover over “Open With,” and select “Archive Utility.” The file will unzip and a new folder will be created with the files, in the same location of your stored ZIP file.

On Windows, you can view the contents of a ZIP folder without unzipping it. But can’t edit them unless you extract the files. To do so, right-click on the ZIP folder and select “Extract All.” The files are then extracted and stored in the same location as the ZIP file. You can set a different location by pressing “Browse” in the Extract All wizard. You can also do the same for individual files within a zipped folder if you don’t want to extract everything at once. Right-click the file, select 'Cut,” and then paste it wherever you want it saved.

Add files to an existing ZIP folder

You might already have a zipped folder that you need to add more files to. On Windows this isn’t too complicated. Drag the new files or folders on to the ZIP file, like you would if you were adding a file to a regular folder. These files are now added to your ZIP file.

But for Mac this isn’t possible without the use of a third-party service. There are always security risks whenever you use a third-party service. There are some third-party archivers like WinZip that are pretty well trusted, but they're not without some risk. This is especially true if you’re zipping private files. With that in mind, the safest way to add new files to a zip folder on Mac would be to create a new zip file from scratch.

How to create a zip file that’s password protected

It is possible to password protect ZIP files to some extent with Windows 10. To do so, right-click on the ZIP file and select “Properties.” From the “General” tab, click “Advanced.” Select “Encrypt contents to secure data,” click OK in the Advanced window, and then click OK in the Properties window to save your changes. You’ll notice that the file icon now shows a padlock. You’ll still be able to open the file if you’re logged into your account, but other accounts will not be able to access it.

For Mac users, your options are more limited. There’s no way to directly password protect a ZIP file on Mac. You’ve got to do a bit of legwork using Terminal. This is quite a complicated and, considering the other options available, unnecessary process. Again, there are plenty of third-party apps that you can use to protect ZIP files on both Windows and Mac. But granting third-party software access to your unprotected files can lead to security issues.

Disadvantages of ZIP files

For the most part, ZIP files are an efficient solution for reducing file size. But they aren't effective for every type of file. For instance, MP4 and JPEG files are already highly compressed and zipping them won’t actually compress them much further. So, while ZIP files should reduce file size, for certain files this reduction won’t be anything substantial. You can only compress a file so much without damaging it. There is also the risk that the compression process can damage or corrupt your files. Furthermore, compressing or sending a compressed file involves a few extra steps. There are alternatives to ZIP files that can get the job done far more efficiently.

Alternatives to ZIP files

With the limitations described above, you might find that compressing files isn’t the best solution for you. ZIP files can be a good way to save space on your device, but makes access difficult. To use a file in a ZIP archive, you would need to find the ZIP it was in and unzip it before opening it. This could easily become time-consuming and cluttered. You’d be better off seeking an option that lets you keep your files at their original size without taking up space on your computer. And that’s when cloud storage comes in. When you use Dropbox Smart Sync, you’re saving your files to an online server. They don’t take up any space on your computer and you can access them from anywhere via the internet.

With Dropbox, you can upload files of any size, in any file format, and share them with a few clicks. You’re not risking file corruption during compression. You can upload effortlessly and send large files in an instant, and you save a few steps in the process. Even if you still need to use ZIP files–you can save and send them from Dropbox. You can even preview a zipped file through Dropbox itself.

With the Dropbox desktop app, moving your files to Dropbox is as simple as dragging them into the Dropbox folder. Drag and drop files straight into Google Chrome, Safari, or whatever browser you’re using to view the web app. Then, sharing your files and folders is as simple as clicking 'Share' and choosing who to send them to. Your shared files and folders are as secure as any ZIP file. Dropbox can even go a step further with password protection. Now only those who you grant access to and have the password can open them.

You and your team can share and edit files and folders through Dropbox itself. You no longer have to create and send new ZIP files every time your files are updated. Everything on Dropbox updates as you and your team edit. Collaboration is a whole lot more efficient without multiple versions on different hard drives.

When you first purchased your Mac, one of the biggest deciding factors you considered is most probably disk space. But as years go by using your computer, its disk space seems to become smaller and smaller by the day, no matter how diligently you delete unneeded files and unused programs. In the computing world, one could never have too much storage space. There are some ways you could save space on your Mac, including manually deleting files and programs or automatically doing so with the help of apps designed to clean out junk such as Mac repair app. Another way — albeit less popular — to free up Mac space is to compress and zip files. In this article, we’ll show you how to zip a file on Mac, unzip it, and protect it with a password.

How to Zip a File on Mac

Converting any standard file to a compressed zip file the traditional way is effortless. You can do this to photos, videos, audio files, and documents, among others. Here are the steps:

• In Finder, look for the file or folder you want to compress and zip. Right-click or Ctrl-click on it.
• Select “Compress [name of file or folder].”
• Wait for the compression process to finish. Larger files may take time to end compressing.
• Once done, a new .zip file will appear in the same location as the original file or folder. You will also hear a system alert tone to notify you of the recently completed compression.

You can now send these compressed files or folders via email. You may also choose to delete the original files and folders if you want to save on disk space, but note that you can’t readily open or view the zipped versions. You’ll need to unzip them first (more on that later).

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How to Zip Multiple Files on Mac

You can also compress multiple files and/or folders. Here’s how:

• First, you have to create a new folder in Finder or Desktop. Press Shift + Command (CMD) + N).
• Name the new folder.
• Drag the files you want to zip together to the folder you just created. IMPORTANT: Before dropping the files, hold down Alt to make sure that the files are copied to the new folder.
• Once all the files you want to zip together are in the folder, Ctrl+Click on the folder, then choose Compress.
• A new zip file should now be created.
• Drag the folder (not the zip file) you created earlier to the Trash.

How to Change the Save Location of Your Zip Files

By default, a zipped file or folder will be saved in the same place where the original is saved. But, you may also choose a dedicated destination for all of your compressed files. It is done by opening the compression app. In Mac, it’s called the Archive Utility. A simple Spotlight search can easily find it. After searching for the app on Spotlight, open it. Click the Archive Utility drop-down menu at the top of the screen, then click Preferences. Select the menu named Save archive, then select into. Next, choose your desired destination.

How to Open and Unzip a Zip File on Mac

Opening a zip file to view its contents is pretty straightforward. Just double-click on the file, and it will open. The zip file can still be seen in the location folder, but an unzipped copy will also be created in the same location. Meanwhile, if were sent a compressed file in a format other than zipping, such as .rar, you’ll need to use an app to decompress it, such as The Unarchiver. You can get this app for free from the App Store. Once installed, the app automatically works pretty much exactly like your Mac’s built-in zip tool. Just double-click the archive file, then the files and folders will be extracted and saved in the same location as the archive file.

How to Enable or Disable a Browser From Extracting Zipped ‘Safe’ Files Automatically

Some web browsers, such as Safari, automatically unzip downloaded compressed files that they consider to be safe by default. In Safari, these safe files include movies, pictures, sounds, PDFs, text documents, and archives. However, if you prefer to decompress downloaded zip files yourself, you can opt out of this feature.

Creating A Zip File In Microsoft 2010

In Safari, go to the drop-down menu. Locate and select Preferences, then click the General tab. Down below the window, you will see “Open “safe” files after downloading.” Leave the box checked if you want Safari to decompress these safe files automatically. Otherwise, untick the box.

How to Protect Your Zip Files With a Password

Now, here’s the more challenging bit. If you want to conceal some of your files, you can do so protecting it with a password. It is an excellent solution for highly confidential files since you probably won’t bother going through the quite complicated process to protect regular files. You may also do this for files that you are about to send through an unsecured messaging or mailing system. When you encrypt a zip file or folder, anyone who is trying to access the file using whether a Mac or PC will have to enter the password you create. To protect your zip file with a password, you’ll have to do it in the Terminal. As an example, let’s assume that the file is named softwaretested.jpg. Now, follow these steps:

• Open Terminal by going to Applications > Utilities > Terminal. You may also search for it on Spotlight.
• Type in cd Desktop then hit Enter/Return.
• Type in zip -e softwaretested.zip softwaretested.jpg, then hit Enter/Return.
• At this point, Terminal will ask you for the password. Type in the password you have in mind. Note that it will appear as if nothing is happening, but it’s designed this way so that the password will be concealed.
• When done typing the password, hit Enter/Return.
• The Terminal will ask you to verify the password. Type it again, then hit Enter/Return.
• Let Terminal finish the job. Status progress will be shown in the form of a percentage. When done, close the Terminal window.

A Note on Naming Your Zip Files

If you plan to protect a zip file or folder with a password, it is recommended that you don’t put spaces on the file name as much as possible. Telling the Terminal to password-protect a file with a name that has spaces will require you to do extra work. For instance, if your filename is software tested.jpg, you’ll have to type the code so as:

zip -e software tested.zip software tested.jpg

It’s not that difficult, but you should take extra caution whenever dealing with a file with spaces on its filename.

How to Password-Protect a Zip Folder

How To Turn A Folder Into A Zip File Mac

If it’s a zip folder you want to put a password on, change the -e extension to -er. For instance, zip -er softwaretested.zip softwaretested.

Compressed Zip Folder

How to Open a Password-Protected Zip File or Folder

How To Convert Folder To Zip Mac

If you were sent a password-protected zip file or want to open your encrypted files, just double-click on them as usual, then enter the password when asked.

Zipping files on Mac is just one of the ways you can save space on your computer and compress big files and folders before sending them to someone else. Know of other file compression tips and methods? Share them with us in the comments below!