The files and/or folders will be extracted to the same location as the archive. Unzipping a compressed archive is as easy as double-clicking on the zip file. If you compressed more than one file or folder, the zip archive will be named 'Archive.zip' by default. If you compressed a single file, the zip archive takes the same name and adds a zip extension.

Locate the newly created zip file in the same directory as the original files and/or folders.

Select Compress or Compress X Items from the contextual dropdown menu.

Alternately, drag a selection box over several files and/or folders with your cursor by holding down the left mouse button or pressing down on the trackpad.

Right-click (or Control-click) on the file or folder you want to compress.

Click the Finder icon in your Mac's Dock to make sure it's the active application.

That's because Apple includes a built-in ability to zip files on your Mac, allowing you to quickly compress single files, groups of files, or entire folders. Whatever your use case, the good news is that there's no need to download additional software to compress files in macOS. Zip files can be downloaded from the web, and theyre useful. People compress or 'zip' electronic files for different reasons – to make them easier to transport electronically, to organize their backups, or to save device storage space, for example. Instructor A zip file is a single file that contains several other files compressed together.

Imac zip files