Before you start
- Windows or macOS (built in)
- 7-Zip, if you want passwords or split archives
Method 1 Windows 11
Recent Windows 11 versions can also create 7z and TAR archives from the same menu.
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Step 1: Select files
In File Explorer, select the files or folder. Hold Ctrl to select several.
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Step 2: Compress
Right-click and choose Compress to > ZIP File (on older Windows 11 builds: Compress to ZIP file).
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Step 3: Name it
Type a name for the new ZIP and press Enter.
Method 2 Windows 10
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Step 1: Select and right-click
Select the files or folder and right-click.
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Step 2: Send to
Choose Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder.
Method 3 Mac
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Step 1: Right-click
Select the items in Finder, right-click (Control-click) and choose Compress.
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Step 2: Find the archive
A file named Archive.zip (or the item’s name) appears in the same folder.
How much smaller will it get?
ZIP works well on text, documents, spreadsheets and uncompressed files, often cutting them by 50–90%. Photos (JPG), videos (MP4), music (MP3) and PDFs are already compressed, so they shrink very little. To make videos smaller, re-export them at a lower resolution instead.
Method 4 Split a huge archive or add a password (7-Zip)
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Step 1: Install 7-Zip
Download it free from 7-zip.org.
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Step 2: Add to archive
Right-click the files > 7-Zip > Add to archive.
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Step 3: Split into parts
In Split to volumes, bytes, choose a size like 2G or type 500M. You get numbered parts (.001, .002…) that are easier to upload.
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Step 4: Optional password
Enter a password and choose AES-256 to encrypt the archive.
Troubleshooting
“Compressed (zipped) folder is invalid”
The ZIP was damaged during download or copying. Download it again, or try opening it with 7-Zip.
File names look garbled after unzipping
Names with special characters can break in older ZIP tools. Use 7-Zip to create and extract the archive.
Frequently asked questions
How do I unzip a file?
Right-click the ZIP and choose Extract All on Windows, or double-click it on a Mac.
Is there a size limit for ZIP files?
Modern Windows and macOS support ZIP64, so archives can be much larger than 4 GB. Some older tools and FAT32 USB drives can’t handle files over 4 GB.
Summary
Right-click and choose Compress to > ZIP File (Windows 11), Send to > Compressed folder (Windows 10) or Compress (Mac). Use 7-Zip to split big archives or add a password, and share large files with a cloud link.
