How to Create a Zip File (Compressed Folder)

• First, open File Explorer and locate the files or folders you’d like to compress and combine into a Zip file. Windows refers to a Zip file as a “compressed folder,” so the terms are interchangeable in this case.
• We’ll be using a group of image files as an example, but you can zip any type of file.
• If it’s a single file or folder you’d like to compress, right-click it and a menu will pop up. Click “Send to,” and then click “Compressed (Zipped) Folder.”
• You can also select multiple files or folders in Explorer, and then follow the same steps above to compress them simultaneously.

Windows compresses the files or folders, and a new ZIP file appears in the same location as the files you’re working with. The ZIP file icon looks like a standard Windows folder with a zipper on it.

Windows then allows you to name the ZIP file whatever you want. Type a name, and then press Enter.

How to View a ZIP File’s Contents and Add Files

If you’d like to check the ZIP file’s contents, double-click it in File Explorer. The ZIP file will open much like a regular folder, and you’ll see the files inside.

• You can also copy-and-paste or drag-and-drop files into this window to add them to the ZIP file. To remove individual files from the ZIP file, delete them from here. Any changes you make inside the folder will be applied to the ZIP file.
• If you’re satisfied, close the ZIP file windows, and you’re set. You can copy the ZIP file to wherever you want.
• It’s also possible to add more files to an existing ZIP file by opening it in explorer, and then dragging the files you want to add into the window.

How to Extract All Files from a Compressed Folder (Zip File)

If your compressed folder (ZIP file) contains many files, it’s often easiest to extract them simultaneously into a new folder. To do so, locate the Zip file you’d like to unzip/extract in Explorer. Right-click the file, and then select “Extract All” from the pop-up menu.

A dialog box appears asking where you’d like to put the files you’re extracting. If you’d like to change the location, click “Browse,” and then select a path. When you’re done, click “Extract.”

The files will extract themselves to the destination you selected, and you’ll see them in a new window.