Support Files app. Open files from iCloudDrive, other cloud drives, and third party Apps in Document Browser. Save files to iCloudDrive, other cloud drives and third party Apps. Append files to a ZIP file. Support multiple ways of sharing files, including: Email, Message, Airdrop, Open in another App. Save photos to Photo Album. ZIP Extractor is a free app for opening ZIP files in Google Drive and Gmail. We're proud to have over 35 million users! With ZIP Extractor you can open a ZIP file of your choice, and then unzip, view, and download the files inside. To get started, open a ZIP file with one of the buttons below. CAM UnZip is a free compressor and file extractor that works with ZIP files. It supports drag and drop to quickly open a ZIP file and can create password-protected archives. There's an interesting feature in CAM UnZip where the program can be configured to automatically run a 'setup.exe' file if one is extracted from a ZIP archive.
General Information About ZIP Files
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ZIP files are compressed archives that group together one or more files into a single file, compressing the files (making them smaller) that are contained inside. The ZIP file format is very popular for efficiently storing and transferring groups of files in a variety of business and personal applications.
The ZIP file format dates to the late 1980s when it received heavy use in pre-internet-era Bulletin Board Systems, or BBSes. In this era, file transfers occurred using MODEMs and transfer speeds were very limited. Using ZIP compression regularly saved minutes or even hours off of file transfers. It also allowed for multiple files and folders to be grouped together ('zipped') and transferred as a single ZIP file. Once received, the ZIP file would then be opened and its contents decompressed ('unzipped') onto a user's computer.
Today, the ZIP file format remains in heavy use in the internet and in the cloud, with billions of such files in circulation. In the cloud, ZIP files are commonly found as both Gmail attachments, as well as files stored in Google Drive or other cloud-based storage systems such as Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive.
In addition to compression, ZIP files are archives that can group together multiple files and folders. When this is done, the path and folder information of the file tree is preserved inside the ZIP file. This makes the ZIP file format convenient for sharing and distributing groups of files.
Examples of ZIP File Uses
ZIP files are common across a variety of business areas, including industries ranging from medical, insurance, legal, mortgage, banking and financial, scientific, equities and trading, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and education industries.
Here are some specified real-world examples of actual usage of ZIP files:
- A car insurance agent ZIPs and emails information related to a person's health insurance, homeowner's insurance, auto insurance, or life insurance policy.
- A real estate agent scans and ZIPs a sales contract and sends it to a mortgage broker for a home loan when buying a home.
- An attorney or lawyer for a law firm ZIPs together a set of related legal documents such as a will, trust, claim, or other estate planning documents and shares them with their client.
- A university student ZIPs a homework assignment and related files and sends it to their instructor or professor in an online degree program.
- A tax accountant ZIPs and emails a copy of a person's federal and state tax returns for review before filing with the IRS.
ZIP files can contain multiple files of different types. Common files that can be included in a ZIP archive include PDFs, images, videos, and Microsoft Office documents including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint (*.DOCX, *.XLSX, *.PPTX file formats).
Creating and Opening ZIP Files
ZIP Extractor and most modern operating systems have built-in functionality to create ZIP files.
- On Windows or PC, to create a ZIP file, right-click files in Windows Explorer and select “Send to -> Compressed (zipped) Folder.”
- On a Mac running Mac OS, create a ZIP file by right-clicking files in Finder and select 'Compress [name_of_file].”
- On a Chromebook running Chrome OS, choose one more files in the Files app and then select “Zip selection.”
- In ZIP Extractor, click 'Create New ZIP' and from there you can add files and folders to be compressed, including files from Google Drive. You can also drag-and-drop files and folders onto the main screen to ZIP them.
- In your internet browser, you can also use the URL shortcut zip.new to go directly to the ZIP Extractor 'Create New ZIP' screen.
On Windows, Mac, or Chrome OS, a ZIP file can be extracted (decompressed) by double-clicking it. Then, the individual files will be unzipped into a new directory and available to preview, edit, print, etc.
ZIP Extractor provides the same decompression functionality that standard operating systems provide, except that ZIP Extractor supports many more formats than the basic built-in functionality of most ZIP programs. Most importantly, ZIP Extractor is designed bottom-up to work directly in the cloud. Because there is no built-in ability to unzip ZIP files in Google Drive or Gmail, ZIP Extractor is a third-party application that provides this functionality.
Encryption and Password Protection
The ZIP file format provides support for basic password-protected ZIP files. More recently, the ZIP format was enhanced with the ability to create files with strong encryption, using AES (Advanced Encryption Standard). This 'strong encryption' approach is much more secure than the original version, but it is less compatible because Windows and Mac cannot open them. ZIP files using 'strong encryption' require ZIP Extractor, WinZip, or other more advanced program to open.
Other archive formats, including RAR and 7-Zip, also allow passwords. These formats have a special ability to also encrypt the names of the files contained in the archive file (using the supplied password), in addition to file content.
ZIP Extractor has full support for opening ZIP, RAR, and 7-Zip files with all types of passwords and encryption formats. It can also create ZIP files with both the standard encryption (compatible with Windows and Mac) or 'strong encryption' (requiring ZIP Extractor or WinZip to open).
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The allure of zipped files is simple: they allow you to directly send and receive files, or batches of files, without encroaching on file size limits. Often, email providers have limits on how large attachments can be. Zip files make it easy to bypass that limitation without sending multiple emails.
Zipping files can also be useful for compressing files for storage on your Mac, or an external hard drive.
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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. 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.
What is a Zip file?
A zip file is a lossless way to compress and archive files and folders. You often encounter zip files in emails, as mentioned, but also when downloading from the internet. If you've ever downloaded an app or extension directly from a developer website, chances are it was a zipped file.
It uses the '.zip' filename, and its icon is typically a folder with a zipper running up the middle. Zipping files is a time-tested method, and is largely unchanged. Its use-cases have expanded, though. 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.
How to zip files on a Mac
Before we talk about some special apps and tools, we need to mention built-in macOS's utility that allows you to compress and decompress files and folders. Your Mac's simple Archive Utility, stored in the Applications > Utilities folder, is a simple, direct way to zip files. Its functionality is limited, but it's a decent option for quick zipping and unzipping of files and folders when you need to open zip files someone has sent you.
Here's how to zip a file on Mac with the Archive Utility:
- Find the file or files you want to zip.
Note: if you'd like to zip multiple files, it's best to put those files in the same folder. Then you can proceed to step two. - Right-click on the file or folder.
- Select 'compress'
That's all it takes. Note the zipped file or folder will be created in the same location as the file or folder you zipped. You can move it manually if you like.
If you want to zip multiple files without first adding them to a folder, that's also possible with Archive Utility. Here's how:
- Open the folder with files or folders you want to zip up
- Select the items you want to include in the zip file and right-click on any one of the items.
- Select 'Compress (x) Items' from the pop-up menu.
Once again, a progress bar will display. When the compression is finished, zipped items will be stored in a file called Archive.zip, which will be located in the same folder as the original items.
How to create an encrypted zip archive
Now that you know how to create a zip file on Mac, you may be wondering how to encrypt that zipped file. Archive Utility doesn't allow for this, but you can use the Terminal to accomplish this feat. Here's how:
- Open 'Terminal' from your Applications
- Enter the following command: cd desktop
- Press enter on your Mac's keyboard
- Enter the following command: zip -e [zipped filename]
Note: Do not use brackets. If your filename were 'test.zip', you would enter: zip -e test.zip - Press enter
- Terminal will ask for you to assign and verify a password.
The encrypted file will then appear on your desktop. Opening it will require a password.
We should note this method is clunky, a bit confusing for many – and dealing with Terminal is always a bit nerve-wracking. There's a much better way!
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BetterZip is an app that makes compression and encryption a breeze. In fact, you can set BetterZip up to encrypt all files by default! It uses strong AES-256 encryption, and has the same lossless compression you'll find with any zipping method.
Here's how to encrypt zip files using BetterZip:
- Open BetterZip on your Mac.
- From the menu bar, select 'BetterZip,' and 'Preferences'
- From the 'Presets' menu, select the 'Save' menu
- Select 'Clean and Zip'
- Under 'Encryption method,' select 'Strong (AES-256)'
If you'd like to use the same password for every file you encrypt, you can enter it in the filed just below 'encryption method'. If you don't supply a password, BetterZip will prompt you for one each time you zip and encrypt a file.
BetterZip is impressive for encrypting every zip file you create. If you're looking for a simpler approach, Archiver is the app you're looking for. It uses a drag-and-drop interface, and makes encryption as easy as checking a box and assigning a password. Here's how:
![Open Open](/uploads/1/3/4/0/134066903/901800326.png)
- Open Archiver on your Mac
- Drag the file you want to zip into the app
- Select 'encrypt' if you want to secure the file with a password
- Enter and verify your password
- Select 'Archive'
How to add files to an existing zip file
BetterZip is your best path forward for adding files to an already zipped file. Here's how it's done:
- Open BetterZip on your Mac
- Select the zipped file you want to add new files to
- Select 'Add' from the top of the betterZip window
- Select the file or files you'd like to add to your already zipped file
Note: If you want to add multiple files, you can shift-click to add a list, or command-click to add them one at a time. - Select and hold 'Save' from the top left of the BetterZip window
- In the menu that appears, select 'Clean and Zip'
This creates a new .zip folder with the already-zipped file, as well as the files you added, all of which are now zipped in the same folder.
Unzip files on a Mac
Unzipping files on your Mac is simple. The best method is using the built-in Archive Utility app. The process is simple, and essentially a reversal of the process for zipping a file. Here's how to unzip files:
- Right-click the zipped folder or file you'd like to unzip
- Select 'open with'
- Select 'Archive Utility'
The zipped file or folder will be unzipped. If you'd like to re-zip the file, simple follow the steps we've outlined in this article to zip it again.
How to open zip files as a pro
To open zipped files and folders, both BetterZip and Archive are great options. We especially like BetterZip, here, because each zipped file or folder is previewed in the BetterZip window before you open it up. That way, you always know what you're about to open!
Here's how to unzip files using BetterZip.
- Open BetterZip
- Select the zipped file or folder you want to unzip
- Select 'Extract' from the top of the BetterZip window
Your file or folder will be unzipped.
Here's the method if you choose Archive:
- Open Archive on your Mac
- Select the zipped file or folder you want to unzip
- Drag it to the Archive window
- Select it from the menu
- Select 'Extract' from the bottom of the Archive window
That's all it takes!
Look inside the archive without extraction
Viewing a zipped file without actually unzipping it can be important if you have many zipped files on your computer, or have zipped folders and can't remember where you stuck a particular file.
For this, we like BetterZip. It automatically offers up a preview of zipped files and folders on the right side of its screen. There's no guessing, or fussy methodology. All you have to do is select the file in BetterZip, and the preview loads immediately.
Extract a separate file from a zip archive
Again, we really like BetterZip for this. Here's how to do it:
- Open BetterZip on your Mac
- Select the zipped folder with the file(s) you want to extract
- Right click the file you want to extract
- Select 'Extract Selected' from the drop-down menu
Unzip files and folders using Terminal
If you would rather unzip files using the Terminal, here's how to do it:
- Open Terminal on your Mac
- Change directory to where your zipped file or folder is located using the 'cd' command. (As an example, if your zipped file were in the documents folder, you would enter 'cd documents' into Terminal – without the quotations. Keep in mind if your zipped file is buried in another folder, you will have to change directory until you reach the file's location.)
- Enter the following command: unzip [filename]. (If your file were named zipped-stuff.zip, you would enter 'unzip zipped-stuff.zip' – again, no quotations.)
Free App To Open Zip Files On Mac
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Apps To Open Zip Files On Mac
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