.ZIP File Extension
Zipped File
| Developer | Phil Katz |
| Popularity |
3.9 | 2497 Votes |
| Category | Compressed Files |
| Format | Zip |
What is a ZIP file?
A ZIP file is an archive that contains one or more files compressed or "zipped" with Zip compression. It stores files separately from each other, allowing the files to be compressed using different methods and extracted without compressing or decompressing the entire archive.
The Zip format was created in 1989 by Phil Katz and was used in the PKZIP utility developed by PKWARE, Inc. The format grew in popularity and is now supported by most file compression/decompression programs.
You may encounter ZIP files in various ways, such as receiving compressed files via email from a friend or co-worker, downloading files online, or exploring backup files that have been compressed with Zip compression. Both Windows and macOS come with programs that can compress and decompress ZIP files.
How to create a ZIP file
Windows users can create ZIP archives by right-clicking a file and selecting . macOS users can create ZIP archives by right-clicking a file and selecting .
Common ZIP Filenames
New Compressed (zipped) Folder.zip - The name Microsoft Windows gives to new ZIP files created via the context menu (right-click and choose ).
How to open a ZIP file
In Windows, you can open a ZIP file with File Explorer, also known as "Windows Explorer," simply by double-clicking the file. You can then choose one, multiple, or all of the files to extract from the Zip archive. In macOS, you can open a ZIP file with Apple Archive Utility by double-clicking the file.
You can also open ZIP files with other compression utilities, such as Corel WinZip (Windows), Corel WinZip Mac (macOS), RARLAB WinRAR (Windows), and 7-Zip (Windows).