XDA Basics: How to create a ZIP file on a Mac

Apple computers — Macs — are powerful and capable machines, for work, education, and entertainment alike. If you’re looking for a compact desktop, you can get the Mac Mini, and if you’re searching for portable power, the MacBook Pro is the answer. But don’t forget to protect it with a case. Whether you’re storing Pages documents, photos, videos, or something else, putting them in an archive has its perks. Here’s how to create a ZIP file on a Mac.

When you want to create a ZIP file, you can either do it to an individual file or to a folder containing multiple ones. Either way, the process is the same.

How to create a ZIP file on a Mac

• Launch the Finder app from your Dock, Launcher, or Spotlight Search.

• Navigate to the file or folder you want to compress.
• Right click with your mouse or tap with two fingers on your trackpad on the file/folder.

• Click on Compress.

• Voila! Your file/folder will then turn into a ZIP file. The time it takes for the zipping process to complete depends on the size of the file/folder you’re compressing.

• To unzip a ZIP file, just double click on it, and it’ll extract the contents. The time it takes also depends on the size of the archive.

As you can see, creating a ZIP file on a Mac is a very straightforward process that requires no third-party apps. Just locate what you want to compress, and you’re all set. Zipping can come in handy when you’re sharing a large amount of files and folders with someone. You can turn them all into a single ZIP file, and the person will then unarchive and view them in their original states. It’s also an effective way to shrink the sizes of certain documents, until you extract them again.