How to Zip & Unzip Files

We receive and send a lot of files as part of our data processing services, and some of our clients are unfamiliar with how to zip and extract files. The following instructions show how to compress and uncompress a file under the Windows, Mac and Linux operating environments. Note than under most systems you can select multiple files as well as folders/directories to zip into the same archive.

Zipping a file creates a compressed version of the file that is usually considerably smaller than the original file. The zipped version of the file has a .zip file extension.

Unzipping a file reverses the zip process and extracts the file from the compressed archive.

IMPORTANT: Please be cautious about opening .zip files from unknown e-mail senders because they can contain viruses. Confirm with known senders before opening a .zip file.

WINDOWS ME, XP, SERVER 2003, VISTA, SERVER 2008 and 7

Compress files (zip files)

1. Locate the file you want to compress.
2. Right-click the file; then point to Send to and click Compressed (zipped) folder.

   A new compressed zip file is created in the same location.

Uncompress files (unzip files)

1. Locate the compressed zip file you want to extract.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To extract a single file or folder, double-click the zip file to open it; then drag the file or folder from the archive to a new location.
   • To extract the entire contents of the zip file, right-click the zip file; then click Extract All; then follow the instructions on the screen.

Windows 95, 98, 98SE and 2000 do not have built in zip file support, and it is necessary to utilize third-party software to create and extract zip files.

MAC OS X (10–10.4)

Compress files (zip files)

1. Use Finder to locate the file you want to compress.
2. Control-click or right-click the file icon; then click Compress [. . .]

   A new compressed zip file is created in the same location.

Uncompress files (unzip files)

1. Use Finder to locate the compressed zip file you want to extract.
2. Double-click the file icon.

   The files contained in the archive will be extracted to the same location.

MAC OS X (10.5–SNOW LEOPARD)

Compress files (zip files)

1. Use Finder to locate the file you want to compress.
2. Control-click or right-click the file icon; then click Create Archive of [. . .]

   A new compressed zip file is created in the same location.

Uncompress files (unzip files)

1. Use Finder to locate the compressed zip file you want to extract.
2. Double-click the file icon.

   The files contained in the archive will be extracted to the same location.

LINUX

Compress files (zip files)

1. Open a shell prompt.
2. Enter the following: zip -r filename.zip filedir

   A new compressed zip file is created in the selected location.

Uncompress files (unzip files)

1. Open a shell prompt.
2. Enter the following: unzip filename.zip

   The files contained in the archive will be extracted to the same location as the zip file.