Zip Files
Bundle photos, documents or a whole project folder into one archive that is easy to email, upload or keep. ZIP opens on every computer and phone without extra software; 7z and TAR.GZ are there when you need a smaller file or a Linux-friendly one.
Zip Files
or drop files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 50 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
Leave empty for no password. Anyone opening the archive will need it, and it cannot be recovered if lost. TAR.GZ cannot hold a password.
AES-256 is secure and opens in 7-Zip, WinRAR, WinZip and Keka; the built-in Windows and macOS unzippers cannot open it. ZipCrypto is weak but opens almost everywhere, including Windows Explorer and macOS Archive Utility.
Keep the folders you dropped in, or put every file at the top level of the archive.
0 creates one file. Set e.g. 25 to fit email attachment limits; all parts are needed to extract the archive.
How to use this tool
- 1
Add the files
Drop up to 50 files, or a folder, onto the upload area. Any file type is accepted, up to 95 MB per file.
- 2
Pick format and compression
Keep Archive format on ZIP and Compression on Normal, or change them. Type a File name if you want one other than archive. Password, folder layout and split parts sit under Advanced settings.
- 3
Zip and download
Press Compress to ZIP (the label follows your format) and download the archive. Your files and the archive are deleted from the server 30 minutes after processing.
ZIP, 7z or TAR.GZ: which archive to create
| Format | Opens without extra apps on | Password | Typical size | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZIP | Windows, macOS, iPhone, Android | AES-256 or ZipCrypto | Baseline | Sending files to anyone |
| 7z | Few systems; needs 7-Zip, Keka or similar | AES-256, file names can be hidden | Often 10–30% smaller | Archiving, large text or code folders |
| TAR.GZ | Linux and macOS terminals | Not supported | Close to ZIP, sometimes smaller | Servers, developers, Linux users |
ZIP comes from Phil Katz, who released PKZIP through his company PKWARE in 1989 and published the format specification openly. Its standard compression method, Deflate, was added with PKZIP 2.0 in 1993 and is the same one used by PNG images and gzip. That open history is why Windows added built-in ZIP folders around 2000, macOS opened ZIP natively from Mac OS X 10.3 in 2003, and the iPhone Files app handles ZIP since iOS 13.
7z belongs to 7-Zip, released by Igor Pavlov in 1999. Its LZMA compression and solid packing, which compresses many files as one stream, usually beat ZIP on text, spreadsheets and source code. TAR.GZ joins files with tar, the Unix tape archiver, and compresses the result with gzip; it keeps Unix file permissions and is what most Linux software is distributed as.
Reduce ZIP file size: what shrinks and what does not
How much a ZIP saves depends on what is inside
- Text, CSV, logs and source code often shrink by more than half
- Word and Excel files (.docx, .xlsx) are already ZIP inside and barely shrink
- JPG, HEIC, MP4, MP3 and most PDFs are already compressed
- Maximum compression is slower and saves a few percent more at best
- 7z with Maximum gives the smallest result for text-heavy folders
- To make photos smaller, compress the images before zipping
Password protect a ZIP file: AES-256 or ZipCrypto
ZIP has two kinds of encryption. ZipCrypto is the original scheme from the early 1990s; it is weak, and free tools can recover the contents, especially when one of the files inside is known to an attacker. AES-256 encryption for ZIP was introduced by WinZip in 2003 and is the right choice for anything private. It opens in 7-Zip, WinRAR, WinZip and current built-in unzip tools; choose ZipCrypto only for a recipient with an old system that rejects AES.
Even with AES, a standard ZIP still shows the names of the files inside before the password is entered. If the file names themselves are sensitive, pick 7z and turn on Hide file names, which encrypts the list too. TAR.GZ cannot carry a password at all.
Folders, hidden files and split parts
Folder layout
Keep folders preserves the folder tree you dropped in. All files at top level puts every file in the root of the archive, handy for a flat set of photos.
Skip hidden system files
On by default. Leaves out .DS_Store, Thumbs.db, desktop.ini and __MACOSX entries that make archives from Macs look cluttered on Windows.
Split into parts of
0 makes one file. Type a size in MB, such as 20, to create numbered parts that each fit an email limit; the receiver needs every part to extract the archive.
File name
The archive's name without the extension. Characters such as / \ : * ? " < > | are not allowed, because Windows rejects them in file names.
Problems people hit when they zip files
The email still bounces after zipping
Gmail allows 25 MB of attachments and Outlook.com 20 MB. Set Split into parts of to a size below the limit and send the parts in separate emails.
The recipient's computer asks for an app to open the archive
You probably sent 7z or TAR.GZ. Create it again as ZIP, which every system opens natively.
Windows says the archive is invalid or asks for a password it does not accept
Older built-in Windows unzipping only understands ZipCrypto. Ask the recipient to use 7-Zip, or recreate the ZIP with Encryption set to ZipCrypto for non-sensitive files.
The ZIP is almost as big as the files
The contents were already compressed media. That is normal; zipping still bundles them into one file.
- Files per archive
- 50
- Per file
- 95 MB
- Password encryption
- AES-256
- Until files are deleted
- 30 min
Zip file questions
How do I create a ZIP file from photos without losing quality?
Zipping never changes the files inside; every photo comes out of the archive byte for byte identical. JPG and HEIC images are already compressed, so the ZIP will be only slightly smaller than the photos combined. To actually shrink pictures, compress them first and zip the results.
How do I password protect a ZIP file?
Type a password in Password under Advanced settings and keep Encryption on AES-256. The recipient needs the same password to open any file, and there is no way to recover it if it is lost, so send it separately from the archive, for example by text message.
Can a ZIP file be bigger than 4 GB?
The original ZIP format stopped at 4 GB per file and per archive and 65,535 entries; the ZIP64 extension added in 2001 removed those limits, and current unzip apps read it. Here each uploaded file can be up to 95 MB and you can add 50 of them, so archives stay well below that size.
Can I convert a ZIP file to PDF?
A ZIP is a container, not a document, so it cannot become a PDF directly. Extract it with unzip online, then turn the images inside into one PDF with image to PDF, or Word and PowerPoint files with the convert-to-PDF tool.
Can I turn a ZIP into an APK or JAR file?
APK and JAR files are ZIP archives inside, but they also need a specific internal layout, a manifest and, for Android, a digital signature. Renaming a normal ZIP does not create a working app; build tools such as Android Studio produce valid APKs.
What does Store compression do?
Store puts the files into the archive without compressing them at all. It is the fastest option and makes sense for videos, photos and other files that are already compressed, where trying to squeeze them only wastes time.
I received a RAR file, not a ZIP. Can I make it a ZIP?
Yes, with RAR to ZIP, which unpacks the RAR and repacks the same files as a ZIP that opens without WinRAR.
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