Creating and Extracting ZIP Files in Windows Without Extra Software

A ZIP file is a compressed container that holds one or more files or folders in a smaller package. People use ZIP files to send multiple files in a single email attachment, to save storage space, or to share a whole folder of photos without sending dozens of individual files.

Windows has built-in support for ZIP files — you do not need to download WinZip, 7-Zip, or any other program to create or open them.

Why ZIP files are useful

When you send a ZIP file by email, the recipient gets everything in one attachment. The ZIP format also compresses the content, meaning the file size is often smaller than the sum of the individual files — sometimes significantly smaller for documents and images.

Creating a ZIP file

You can ZIP a single file, a folder, or a group of files you select together. Right-click the file or folder you want to compress, and look for "Compress to ZIP file" (Windows 11) or "Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder" (Windows 10). Windows creates a new ZIP file in the same location.

Extracting (unzipping) a ZIP file

When someone sends you a ZIP file or you download one, you need to extract it before you can use the files inside. Right-click the ZIP file and choose "Extract All." A window asks where you want to put the extracted files — the same folder is fine. Click "Extract" and the files appear.

Quick Tip: You can double-click a ZIP file to peek inside without extracting. But to actually open or edit files inside, you need to extract them first — otherwise changes may not save properly.