How Do I Make A Zip File?

Almost every Internet user must have downloaded a ZIP file from the Internet, but not all of them know how they are created in the first place. Do you need a 3rd party software to create a ZIP file? Does the operating system on your system includes a native support for Zip files? How do you start creating compressed ZIP files? Fret not, in this article; we will show you exactly how it is done on the most commonly used operating systems (Windows, Linux, Mac OS).

Creating A Zip File On A Windows-powered System

• Default method to create a Zip:

  

  1. Head to the target folder and right-click on it.
  2. Move your cursor down to find “Send to” option and then click on “Compressed (zipped) folder” as shown in the image above.

• If you have WinRAR installed:

  
  1. If you want multiple files packed into a single ZIP file, you should arrange them inside a single folder first.

  2. Now, right-click on the folder and click on “Add to Archive” as shown in the image above.

  3. Now, set the options to compress and make a zip file as you wish.

  

• If you have WinZip installed:

  
  1.  Head to the desired folder.
  2. Now, right-click on it and search for “WinZip” option, hover on it to further find “Add/Move to Zip file” – click on it to get started.

• If you have 7-Zip Installed:1. Head to your target folder and then right-click on it.
  2. Now, find the option “7-Zip” and then navigate to the next options. And, then click on “Add to archive” to create the zip file.

Creating A Zip File On A Linux-powered Machine

1. Head to the file manager on your Linux machine.
2. Now, navigate your way to a folder which you want to make a ZIP file of – or – you could make a folder of the files you want in the ZIP file (if not already packed together).
   
3. Finally, right-click on the desired folder to find the “Compress” option and then click on it.
   
4. Now, you will be able to select the desired extension from the list as shown in the image below (here, you need to select .zip extension.)
   
5. If you need to set a password for your ZIP file, simply click on the “Other options” and then set a passphrase for the ZIP file.
   

Creating A Zip File On A Mac-powered System

Here’s how to do it on Mac:

1. Head to the target folder which you want to compress and make a zip file.
2. Now, right-click on the folder to find “Compress” option. Just, click on it and it would start compressing it and make a zip file as shown in the image below.

Now that you have known about the zip creation methods for Windows, Linux, and Mac, let us know in the comments below about the operating system and the method you use to make a ZIP file. Is there any other exciting method to create a zip file? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Ankush Das
Categories: Computers
Tags: files, zip