IZip is a free powerful archiving utility designed specifically for Mac. Easily manage ZIP and RAR files directly from the OS X Finder. Open and securely share ZIP. Aug 24, 2017 - Creating a ZIP file on a Mac is quick and easy, as MacOS contains a built-in utility for compressing or unzipping files. First, find a file or group of.
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Zip files are handy when you need to send someone multiple files or folders. Not only do zip files compress the data, making the files smaller, they combine everything together. This also makes them ideal if you want to make some room on your hard drive without deleting old files you seldom use. Zip files are also universal, so if you client has a Windows PC and you have a Mac, you can send and receive the files and open them easily.
On a Mac computer, you can open zip files without installing any extra software. Compressing and uncompressing zip files has been part of a Mac's built-in software for years. Mac computers can uncompress other files in addition to .zip files, including .tar, .gz,.rarand .dmg files.
How to Open Zip Folders on Mac Computers
To open a zip file on a Mac, just double-click it. The Archive utility automatically opens the file or folder, decompressing it and putting it in the same folder as the compressed file. So, for example, if the zip file is on your desktop, the unzipped folder will be put on your desktop too.
If the zip file contains just a single file, without a folder, the decompressed version will have the same name as the zip file, without the .zip extension. For example, if someone send you a zipped Word document and you double-click it, in Finder you will see the zipped version and the unzipped version:
- report.zip.
- report.docx.
If you have already unzipped the same file, or if you already have a DOCX file with the same name, then the new unzipped file will have a number after the name.
Similarly, if the zip file contains several files or folders, they will all be put in a new folder with the same name as the zip file. If you don't see file extensions in Finder, look at the icons to distinguish between the zip file, and the folder. Zip files have a zipper in the icon.
Browsing a Zip File Without Unzipping It
Windows users have one advantage over Mac users when it comes to zip files – they can look inside a zip file without actually opening it. This is a good tool to have, particularly if you aren't certain what the contents are.
Normally, this is where a third-party software comes in, like WinZip, The Unarchiver or Stuffit, each of which have Mac editions of their software. But if you have Google Drive, you can use it as a quick workaround. . Simply drag the zip file to Google Drive and, once it's there, click it inside the drive.google.com website. Google Drive will show you the file contents. You won't be able to open the file inside Google Drive until you install a zip extractor. Google Drive will recommend several when you preview the file contents.
Zipping Files and Folders on a Mac
Creating your own zip files on a Mac is just as easy as unzipping them. First, select one or more files and folders. Then you can control-click or right-click the selected items. From the drop-down menu select 'Compress.'
The Archive utility will bundle everything together into a compressed file, using the first item you selected as its name, with the .zip extension. The zip file is placed in the same folder as the items you selected to compress. Because the Archive utility copies them into a zip file, the original items aren't touched and are left intact where they were.
Tip
- If you have several files to zip located in different folders, it's often easier to create a new folder first and give it the name you want for the zip file. If you copy all of your files into this folder, rather than move them there, you can then delete the folder when the zip file is created.
References (3)
About the Author
A published author and professional speaker, David Weedmark has advised businesses on technology, media and marketing for more than 20 years. He has taught computer science at Algonquin College, has started three successful businesses, and has written hundreds of articles for newspapers and magazines and online publications including About.com, Re/Max and American Express.
Photo Credits
- Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images
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Weedmark, David. 'How to Open Zip Files With a Mac.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/open-zip-files-mac-53966.html. 29 April 2019.
Weedmark, David. (2019, April 29). How to Open Zip Files With a Mac. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/open-zip-files-mac-53966.html
Weedmark, David. 'How to Open Zip Files With a Mac' last modified April 29, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/open-zip-files-mac-53966.html
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Files you download from the Internet are often compressed or zipped so that they take up less space and arrive much faster than files that haven’t been compressed. You can easily identify compressed files by their extensions, such as .zip (a common standard used in OS X and Windows) and .sit. Before you can use these files, you must learn how to unzip files on mac computers for proper access – luckily the process isn’t that complicated!
How to unzip files on mac computers
Unzipping a file on a mac computer is user-friendly and intuitive. To unzip files on a mac, simply follow the steps below:
- Double click the zipped file.
- The file will automatically be decompressed by Archive Utility into the same folder the compressed file is in.
- Access the extracted files by clicking the appropriate icons.
Alternatively, if the method above does not work, you can right-click on the .zip package, and select Open With > Archive Utility (default).
Apple and third party software
Apple used to include a program called StuffIt Expander to decompress zipped files, but doesn’t now that OS X lets you unzip files (but not .sit files). However, StuffIt from SmithMicro Software still comes in handy for opening other types of compressed files, notably the .sit or .sitx compressed types. Go to www.stuffit-expander.com or www.stuffit.com/mac/index.html to download a free version of the software or to splurge for the Deluxe version. In addition to compressing files, StuffIt Deluxe lets you encrypt and back up files.
Meanwhile, you can archive or create your own .zip files through OS X, which is useful if you’re e-mailing a number of meaty files to a friend. Right-click (or Ctrl-click) files you want to compress inside Finder and choose Compress Filename. The newly compressed files carry the .zip extension. The archive is created in the same location as the original file and is named originalfilename.zip. You can also choose File→Compress. If you compress a lot of files at once, the archive takes the name Archive.zip.
By default, compressed files are opened with the Archive Utility. It appears in the Dock (in Leopard) while the files are being unsqueezed, unless you choose to open them with Stuffit Expander or some other program.
How to zip files on a mac
On the flip side, you can also archive or create your own .zip files through OS X, which is useful if you’re e-mailing a number of meaty files to a client or friend. Follow the step-by-step instructions below to easily zip files on a mac:
- Right-click or Ctrl-click the multiple files you want to compress (whether on the desktop or inside the Finder).
- Select Compress Filename from the pop-up menu.
- The files are now compressed in a .zip extension and the archive is created in the same location as the original file name, except with the .zip appended to its name.
On some Apple computers, you can also compress a file by simply choosing File→Compress. If you compress a lot of files at once, the archive takes the name Archive.zip.