How to Zip and Unzip Files on Windows

You need to send several files as one attachment, or you have received a .zip file and need what is inside. File Explorer handles both without any extra program.

Select the files to compress

Open File Explorer and go to the folder holding the files. Click the first one, then hold Ctrl and click the others, or press Ctrl + A to select everything. You can also select a single folder to zip its entire contents.

Create the ZIP file

Right-click the selection and choose Compress to ZIP file. A new .zip file appears in the same folder with its name ready to edit; type a name and press Enter. On Windows 10 the option is under Send to, Compressed (zipped) folder.

On the newest Windows 11 builds the option sits inside a Compress to submenu alongside 7z and TAR formats. ZIP is the one to use when the recipient may be on a Mac or an older PC.

Add more files to an existing ZIP

Drag files from another File Explorer window and drop them onto the .zip file, or double-click the .zip to open it and drag files into the window. Windows copies them in; the originals stay where they were.

Unzip an archive

Right-click the .zip file and choose Extract All. A dialog shows the destination folder, which defaults to a new folder with the same name next to the archive. Change it if you want, leave Show extracted files when complete ticked, and click Extract.

To pull out a single file instead, double-click the .zip to browse it and drag the file you need to the desktop or another folder.

If you prefer the command line. Windows 10 and 11 include the tar command. Open Command Prompt in the folder and run:

tar -a -c -f archive.zip folder

The -a flag picks the format from the .zip extension. To extract:

tar -xf archive.zip

Files land in the current folder.