Create and Open ZIP files on Android, iPhone, windows, etc

Zip files are helpful in a lot of ways. It may be in size or in other factors. But creating these files may be tricky on some platforms. So in this post, we are going to cover How to Create and Open ZIP files on Android, iPhone, windows, etc

What is a Zip file

A ZIP is a file format used for compressing. Zipped files take up low storage space for the same amount of files. These files have.zip extensions on the end. Zipped files are widely used in software and application download that takes up more space.

In simple terms Zipped files are the Compressed version of the actual files.

advantages and disadvantages of Zip file

Advantages of Zip files

Zipping files saves stoarge space on your device, since zipped files takes up low stoarge space.
You can email a zipped file easily since they are smaller than original file.
Zipped files hepls in stoarge content on lesser stoarge devices such as CD without effceting the contents
It is easier to Zip files.
Zip is the msot widely used comoression format.
All the devices support Zipping files and contents
There is no loss of Data while compressing

Disadvantages of Zip Files

In some devices Zipped files may get corrupted
It takes Time to ZIP and Unzip files
You have to unzip a file before using it

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How to create and open a ZIP files on Android

Most Android devices have built-in options to create and extract ZIP files. However, Their functionality is limited or known to cause an error while UnZipping. In this method, We are going to use an external app to create and open ZIP files.

How to create a Zip file on Android

Step 1: Start your Smartphone and head on to playstore

Step 2: Download and install App called WinZip from the play store. There are also other apps that work fine.

Step 3: Open WinZip and provide required Access permission.

Step 4: Tap on Start.

Step 5: Select the Folder in which the files are present.

Step 6: Click on the 3 dots next to files and Select Zip.

Step 7: Provide the location or Destanation for storing the Zipped file and tap on ZIP HERE

Step 8: provide the file name and Click ok. You can also encrypot the Zip file on android.

The Files will be Compressed into Zip format and will be Stored in the Given location.

How to open or unzip a file on android

Most smartphones have the option to extract zip files. For example, In Samsung, you cannot compress a file into ZIp format. But, You can extract the ZIP file. You can use the built-in tool or app to open Or Unzip files on android.

Go to Folder and then to the Zip file that you want to extract. Select the file and then tap on the 3 dots in the upper right corner and select extract. The ZIP file will be extracted. Follow the below to extract files using an external app.

Step 1: Open WinZip app on your smartphone

Step 2: Tap on All Archived Files

Step 3: Wait the for some time. All the available Zip files will be listed

How to create and open Zip files on iPhone

You may have heard that iPhone lacks many features compared to android. But in this case, you are wrong. iPhone has a built-in App that provides zipping and unzipping functionality. You won’t need to download an external app to do this.

How to create Zip files on iPhone

Step 1: Go to the Files app on your iPhone

Step 2: Go to folder or location. You can choose internal storage or iCloud drive.

Step 3: Tap on 3 dots in the upper right corner. Then tap on Select.

Step 4: Select the files that you want to create a ZIP file and Tap on the 3 dots in the bottom left corner.

Step 5: Select compress. The Selected file will be converted into a ZIP file. The ZIP archive name will be the same as the file name if you have archived only one file. If you have selected more than 1 file, Then it will be named as an archive.zip. You can rename it by tapping and holding the file.

How to open Zip files on iPhone

Opening Zip files is easier than creating a ZIP archive. You have to reverse the creation process with small changes.

Step 1: Go to your Files App, Then head on to the location where you have stored a Zip file that you want to open.

Step 2: Tap on the ZIP archive that you want to open. All the files will be extracted to the folder.

Step 3: Now you can view the contents of the folder. You can also rename folders and move contents between other folders.

How to create and open Zip file on Chromebook

The process of Zipping and unzipping the files on the Chromebook is similar to that of windows.

How to create Zip files on Chromebook

Step 1: First Open the files app on Chromebook

Step 2: Go to the Documents folder or to another folder that has files that you want to Zip

Step 3: Select the files that you want to ZIP or compress and right-click on it

Step 4: Then select Zip selection. All the selected files will be compressed and converted into a Zip archive.

You can view or rename the created ZIP file by right-clicking on it.

How to open or unzip files on chromebook

Step 1: Go to the folder where you have created or placed the ZIp file

Step 2: Select the Zipped file and right-click on it and copy the file. You can also use the shortcut key to copy the contents of the file

Step 3: Copy the contents to a new folder and click on the eject icon on the Archieve.Zip. It is present on the bottom left side view.

All the files and contents of the folder will be unzipped. Now you can open and view the contents of the Zipped file.

Check out: How to use split-screen or multi-tab view on Chromebook

How to create and open Zip file on Windows

In windows, you can actually view the contents inside the zip folder without extracting them. Even Mac doesn’t support this feature.

How to create a Zip file on Windows

Step 1: Go to file explorer and open up your drive.

Step 2: Right-click on anywhere and select new

Step 3: Now select Compressed folder and compresses folder is created.

Step 4: Move all the files and contents that you want to create the ZIP archive to a compressed folder.

All the Moved files will automatically be converted into a ZIP archive. Unlike other devices, You don’t need to select files before the creation of a compressed folder. You can add files to a compressed folder anytime.

How to open or unZip files on Windows

Step 1: Go to file explorer and open the folder where you have saved the Zip file.

Step 2: Right-click on the file.

Step 3: Select Extract all and select the destination to store the extracted files.

Step 4: Click on extract in the bottom right corner.

The file will be extracted and stored at the selected destination.

How to create and open Zip file on Mac

Compressing and zipping files on Mac is a lot easier. The process is similar to that of windows. You can save more storage space by compressing files. It is also easier to share compressed files.

How to create Zip files on Mac

Step 1: Go to the finder. Then go to Documents on your mac

Step 2: Right Click on it and select a new folder.

Step 3: Move the files that you want to compress to the newly created folder.

Step 4: Right-click on the folder and select Compress

Step 5: Give some time for the process to complete. After the completion, The ZIp file will be saved in the same folder.

You can also compress single files without the need of creating an extra folder.

How to open or unZip files on Mac

Open or Unzipping files is a lot easier compared to other platforms. Since Mac has an inbuilt utility tool extracting files is easier.

Go to the Zipped file and double-click on it. The zipped file will automatically be unzipped.

How to create and open Zip file on Linux

In Linux, you can either use a Built-in app or a Terminal to create and open ZIP files. The Terminal is easier compared to windows or mac.

How to create Zip files on Linux

Step 1: Go to file manager or file explorer on your Linux system

Step 2: Go to files which you want to create a Zip archive.

Step 3: Select the files that you want to compress or create Archive.

Step 4: Right-click on the files or free space and select the Compress option.

Step 5: A pop-up window named create archive will appear. Give the name and select the .zip option below.

Step 6: Click on the create. All the selected files will be converted into a ZIP archive in the same directory.

How to open or Unzip files on Linux

Most people prefer using the command line for unzipping fil. But in this method, we are using a Graphical user interface.

Go to the zipped file on your Linux system. Right-click on the Zipped file and Select Extract here or you can also select extract to. the Zipped file will be unzipped.