When you’re ready, press Enter.Īnd that’s all there is to it! Pretty simple.

Type a new file name or leave the default name in place. The ZIP file name will highlight, allowing you to type in whatever name you’d like. In the menu that appears, select “Compress to ZIP file.”Īfter a moment, your ZIP file will appear in the same folder as the source files that you just compressed. If you want to zip a group of files or folders, select them by dragging your mouse cursor over them using the selection rectangle, and then right-click the group. Before compressing, know that if you zip folders, their internal folder structure will be preserved when they get unzipped later. This technique also works with files on your desktop. Right-click the file, and then select “Extract All” from the pop-up menu.First, using File Explorer, locate the file (or files) that you’d like to compress or combine into a ZIP file. To do so, locate the Zip file you’d like to unzip/extract in Explorer. If your compressed folder (ZIP file) contains many files, it’s often easiest to extract them simultaneously into a new folder. How to Extract All Files from a Compressed Folder (Zip File) 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. You can copy the ZIP file to wherever you want. If you’re satisfied, close the ZIP file windows, and you’re set. Any changes you make inside the folder will be applied to the ZIP file. To remove individual files from the ZIP file, delete them from here.

You can also copy-and-paste or drag-and-drop files into this window to add them to the ZIP file. The ZIP file will open much like a regular folder, and you’ll see the files inside. If you’d like to check the ZIP file’s contents, double-click it in File Explorer. RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Zip Files How to View a ZIP File’s Contents and Add Files Windows then allows you to name the ZIP file whatever you want. The ZIP file icon looks like a standard Windows folder with a zipper on it. Windows compresses the files or folders, and a new ZIP file appears in the same location as the files you’re working with.

How to open zip folder