Your Mac's simple Archive Utility, stored in the Applications > Utilities folder, is a simple, direct way to zip files. There’s also a built-in macOS utility that allows you to compress and decompress files and folders. How to zip files on a Mac with native utility Select 'encrypt' if you want to secure the file with a password.Drag the file you want to zip into the app.It uses a drag-and-drop interface, allowing you to quickly archive and unzip all kinds of archiving formats, including RAR, which is not supported by macOS native archive utility.Īrchiver also offers encryption to additionally secure your files - it’s as easy as checking a box and assigning a password. The fastest way to zip and unzip files on MacĪrchiver is the tool you're looking for.

We use zip files for sending large files and bundles of PDF or text files, but it's now used as a method to send large folders of images as well as for downloading applications or games from the internet. Zipping files is a time-tested method, and is largely unchanged. It uses the '.zip' filename, and its icon is typically a folder with a zipper running up the middle. If you've ever downloaded an app or extension directly from a developer website, chances are it was a zipped file. You often encounter zip files in emails, as mentioned, but also when downloading from the internet.

What is a zip file?Ī zip file is a lossless way to compress and archive files and folders. Below, we are going to explore how to unzip files on Mac, how to create zip archives, and showcase some archivers that make it really easy to zip and manage zipped files. How do you open a zip file on a Mac? Or what's the best way to do that? There are, of course, several methods for creating archives, such as built-in utilities, Terminal, and third-party apps.

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