What is a ZIP file
A .zip file is a compression format.
With zip files, you can easily send and also backup large files or even a group of files. A zip contains one or multiple compressed files and also makes it easy to reduce the size of large files and make them a lot smaller.
It can also be used to keep all related files together in one place. Zip is considered as the most popular of all the compression formats for Windows. It can also be used for sharing files add emailing over the internet.
After receiving or downloading a zip, you should look for a way to unpack or extract it so that the content of the zip files can be easily accessed. One of the best tools you can use to do this is WinZip.
It is considered as the most popular off all the zip openers around. It is very easy to use and extract the files very fast.
How to open ZIP files
First of all, save the zip file extension to your desktop. If the compressed file was downloaded to your computer from a website, it will be saved automatically in the Download folder, which you can find under my Computer.
You can then launch the WinZip to access the file. The file can be located from your Start Menu and you can also check under Desktop shortcut for it.
Afterward, open the compressed file extension by clicking on File and then Open. If your computer has the compressed file extension in association with the WinZip program, you can easily double-click on this file
Next, select the entire folders and files in the compressed file. You can equally multi-select only folders and files that you may want to open by simply pressing down the CTRL button and holding it in place and pressing the left tab on your mouse at the same time.
Then click on 1-click Unzip after which you should choose to Unzip to PC or Cloud. This will automatically transfer the file from the zip to your computer so that you can easily open them to access them. You can find the link in the WinZip toolbar, which can be found under the Unzip/Share tab.
Next, you should choose the destination folder in which to transfer the file you have downloaded and then click on the Unzip button.
Finally, look for the file you have extracted in the destination folder.
Programs to open a Zip file
On Windows
- WinZip 23
- Internet Explorer 8 or later
- Windows 10
- Windows XP
- Windows 8
- Windows Vista
- Windows 7
On Mac
- WinZip Mac 6.5
- Mac OS X 10.8, 10.9 or 10.10
- Supports Apple Retina Displays
- Intel 64-bit processors.
On Android
You can get both the free and paid versions of the WinZip program, but the paid version has more offers than the free version.
The free version is more or less a trial version and you may still have to pay for it once the trial period expires.
Related Extensions