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Pack and unpack zip files

In this page you will learn how to pack and unpack ZIP files using File Explorer in Windows 10.

Norsk versjon - Åpne og pakke zip-filer

Topic page about IT services | Pages labeled with zip

What is a ZIP file?

ZIP is an archive file format that supports lossless data compression. A ZIP file may contain one or more files or folders. By adding several files to a ZIP file, the files will appear as one file as well as they will occupy less disk space. ZIP files are characterized by their .ZIP suffix.

There are plenty of applications using the ZIP file format and various operating systems have built-in support for handling ZIP files. This page shows you how to use File Explorer in Windows 10 to pack (compress) and unpack (extract) ZIP files.

How to unpack a ZIP file

  1. Select (one click) the ZIP file you want to unpack (extract) in File Explorer
  2. Right-click the file to access the menu
  3. Choose Extract All... from the menu
  4. In the dialog box, choose which folder you want to unpack the files to
  5. Choose Extract and the containing file(s) will be unpacked in the selected folder

How to pack a ZIP file

  1. Select the files/folders you want to pack (compress) from File Explorer (hold down Ctrl-key to select multiple items)
  2. When selection is completed, right-click a file to open the menu
  3. Choose Send to -> Compressed (zipped) folder
  4. Give the ZIP file a name
  5. Press Enter and the ZIP file will be saved in the current folder

How to unpack a ZIP file (Mac)

  1. Navigate to the folder containing the ZIP archive and doubleclick the archive file.
  2. The archive will then unpack in the folder you are standing in. 

How to pack a ZIP file (Mac)

  1. Find the file(s)/folder(s) you wish to compress.
  2. When the files are selected, right click on one of them to open the menu.
  3. Click Compress X Items.

  4. A ZIP archive will then appear in the folder you are standing.

Contact

Orakel Support Services can help if you have questions or if you encounter difficulties.