David ParkLearn to compress files and folders on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Includes zip, 7z, and online compression options.
5 min
Time Required
Free
Estimated Cost
4
Steps
low
Safety
What You'll Need
Tools
Step 1 of 4
Select Your Files
Choose the files or folders you want to compress. Select multiple by holding Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (Mac) and clicking each item.
Tip
Organize files into folders first, then compress the folder for better organization.
Step 2 of 4
Create the Archive
Windows: Right-click → Send to → Compressed (zipped) folder. Mac: Right-click → Compress. Linux: Use 'zip -r archive.zip folder/'. The compressed file will appear in the same location.
Step 3 of 4
Check the Size
Compare the compressed size to the original. Text files compress dramatically (up to 90%). Images and videos are already compressed and won't shrink much. The ratio depends on the content type.
Step 4 of 4
Extract When Needed
To decompress: Right-click → Extract All (Windows) or double-click (Mac). The extracted files return to their original form. No data is lost in the process.
Pro Tip
For large files, use 7-Zip (7z format) for better compression than standard zip.