Someone once said that you can never be too rich or too thin; You might also add that you can never have enough storage space. One way to save storage space on your Mac is to compress (or compress) files and folders so they take up less space, and it’s also a good idea if you’re planning on sending them to someone else.
In this article, we show how to zip, unzip (or “unzip”) a file on your Mac, and password-protect the resulting zip or archive file so that only the intended recipient can view it. Keir Thomas contributed to this article.
Reading: How to create a zip file os x yosemite
How to Compress a File on Mac
Convert a regular file (whether it’s an image, video, music file, document or any other type) or a folder to a compressed ZIP file is very easy on a Mac:
- Right-click (or Control-click) the file or folder and select “[name] compress”.
- Wait a moment (very large files or folders with many files may take a while) and a new ZIP file will appear in the same location as the original file (unless you have another destination selected – see below). You will hear the system beep to indicate the process is complete.
That’s it! This .zip file can now be emailed to a friend or simply saved until needed. You can delete the original file if you want, but you cannot view or use the zipped file as is: you must unzip it first.
Compress multiple files
Compress multiple Files
h3>
To zip multiple files and/or folders, create a new folder (Shift + Cmd + N) in Finder or on the desktop and name it whatever you want the zip file to be called. Drag and drop the files you want to include in the ZIP file, but hold down the Alt key before releasing the mouse button so that the files are copied there. Then hold Ctrl and click on the folder by selecting Compress from the menu. Once zipping is complete, drag the folder you created to the Trash.
Note that Windows users who unzip your ZIP file will also see “point files” – files and folders, whose filenames are preceded by dots or sometimes underscores (e.g. as ‘.DS_Store’ or ‘_MACOSX’). These are Mac system files and can be ignored. You can use a free app like FolderWasher to remove dot files before creating the zip file.
Save zip files elsewhere
You can choose the destination of your zipped files change by opening the app that is doing the compression. It’s called Archive Utility and can be found via a Spotlight search.
Open Archive Utility, then click the Archive Utility drop-down menu at the top of the screen and select Preferences. Click on the menu labeled “Save Archive”, choose “to” and then choose a new destination. (By default, the zipped file is saved in the same location as the original file.)
How to open (or unzip) a zip file on a Mac
This is just easier than the last Piece. All you have to do is double-click a zip file and it will open by itself. The zip file is still in its original location, but an unzipped copy will appear next to it.
Should you need to uncompress an archive that is not a ZIP file – for example a .rar file – then install The Dearchiver. This is available for free on the App Store and works just like the built-in Zip tool – just double-click the archive file and the files and folders will automatically extract to the same location.
Install the free BetterZip Quick Look Generator to preview the contents of archives using the macOS Quick Look feature.
Automatically extract “safe” files from Zips
Some web browsers automatically unzip what they deem appropriate be safe files when you download them (in the case of Safari, safe files include image files such as jpegs, pdfs, and movies); This might be something you’d rather not let happen.
See also: Wiki Requirements/Using HTML, CSS, and Javascript
If you’re in Safari, go to the Safari drop-down menu, then Preferences and select the General tab. Then turn on or off the option to Open secure files after downloading.
Protect zip files with a password
A challenge at last! This is a bit more difficult – but worth it if you’re sending a sensitive file or document over an unsecured messaging system. We can encrypt the ZIP file so that everyone – on Mac or PC – has to enter the password to use or view the file or folder.
In fact, the process really isn’t scary: you just have to to spend a few moments in the terminal. The “-e” command tells Terminal to encrypt the ZIP file.
Open Terminal (it’s located under Applications > Utilities, or you can use Spotlight to search for it) and type following one. (Type Enter after each line.)
We’ll assume the file to be compressed is called macworld.jpg and resides on the desktop, but you’ll need to change the relevant bits to get them right for you. If it’s a folder and not a file, we need to use slightly different code, see the section on folders below.
cd Desktop
zip -e macworld.zip macworld.jpg
At this point Terminal will ask you to enter a password. Nothing seems to appear as you type this, but it’s designed to be, so don’t worry – just hit enter when you’re done and repeat the process when prompted to confirm the password.
Whatever password you enter, it will need to be re-entered to decompress the zip file.
Let’s look at this code again, but this time we’ll use square brackets, to show the bits you should change. Do not include the square brackets!
cd [file location]
See also: Starting Your Own Bitcoin or Cryptocurrency Exchange Business – A Step-by-Step Guide
zip -e [new_filename].zip [old_filename]. [File type extension]
Note that the ZIP file may have the same file name as the original (except with the .zip extension) or a different one.
Warning : spaces in file or folder names!
If at all possible, we would recommend renaming the file or folder to be zipped so that it doesn’t have spaces in the name, as this is disastrous in Terminal. (You could replace the spaces with underscores, which looks pretty neat.) If you absolutely must include spaces, you’ll need to change the code so that each space is preceded by a (you should still include the space).
So let’s say we changed the name of our original file from “macworld.jpg” to “mac world.jpg”. Now instead of
zip -e macworld.zip macworld.jpg
we would type
zip -e mac world .zip mac world.jpg
What if it’s a folder and not a file?
This time, instead of a file extension, you would use the “-er ‘ instead of ‘-e’. This tells Terminal to zip the contents of the folder.
If we imagine we are zipping a folder called macworld, we would type:
zip -er macworld. zip macworld
How to open a password protected ZIP file
You (or the recipient of your encrypted ZIP file) don’t have to worry about Terminal – just double – Click the zip file as usual, then enter the password when prompted. It unzips normally.
Alternative zipping tools
Most Mac users have enjoyed using zips for years, but a few people still use StuffIt, which remains one powerful application is to do things that the built-in Mac zip tool can’t, like: to create a wider range of archive formats.
To use it, simply drag and drop the file or folder onto the Zip tile in the StuffIt interface. The archive will be created immediately.
See also: How to Make an Invoice in Google Docs (with Free Google Doc Invoice Template)
.
