Zip files bundle several files into one smaller file. They’re ideal for emailing a batch of photos or sending a whole folder in one go. Your Mac can create and open them without any extra software.
How to zip a file or folder
- In Finder, find the file or folder you want to compress.
- Right-click it (or Control-click).
- Choose Compress “name”.
A new file ending in .zip appears in the same place. Your original stays exactly where it was.
How to zip several files together
- Select the files. Hold Command and click each one, or drag a box around them.
- Right-click any of the selected files.
- Choose Compress.
Your Mac creates a file called Archive.zip. Click its name once, press Return, and rename it to something more useful.
Tip: Put everything in a folder first, then compress the folder. The person receiving it gets a tidy folder, not a scatter of loose files.
How to unzip a file
Double-click the zip file. That’s it.
The contents appear next to the zip file, in a folder if there’s more than one item. The zip file itself stays put, so you can delete it once you’ve checked everything is there.
How to password-protect a zip file
Finder can’t add a password, but the built-in Terminal app can.
- Open Terminal. Press Command + Space, type “Terminal” and press Return.
- Type
cd(with a space after it), then drag the folder that contains your files into the Terminal window and press Return. - Type the following, replacing the names with your own, and press Return:
zip -er Private.zip "My Folder"
- Enter a password when asked, then enter it again to confirm. Nothing appears as you type. That’s normal.
A password-protected Private.zip appears in that folder. Anyone opening it will be asked for the password.
Zip passwords give basic protection. For anything highly sensitive, use an encrypted disk image (Disk Utility) or a dedicated encryption app.
How to open .rar, .7z and other formats
Macs open .zip files natively, but not .rar or .7z. For those, install a free app such as The Unarchiver or Keka from the App Store, then double-click the file as usual.
Troubleshooting
“Unable to expand” error. The download may be incomplete or damaged. Download the file again. If it still fails, try opening it with The Unarchiver.
The zip is barely smaller than the original. Photos, videos and PDFs are already compressed, so zipping them saves little space. It’s still useful for bundling them into one file.
The file is too big to email. Most email services limit attachments to around 20–25MB. Use a sharing link from iCloud Drive, or Mail’s Mail Drop feature, for anything larger.
Wrapping up
Right-click and choose Compress to zip. Double-click to unzip. For everyday use, that’s all you need to know.
