Compressed files, often called zip files, combine one or more files into a single, space-efficient package. This reduces their total size, making them easier to store, transfer, or share. Since the contents are compressed, you’ll need to unzip them before you can access the original files.
This guide walks you through how to zip and unzip files in both Windows 10 and Windows 11.
How to zip a file
How to zip a file in Windows 10:
- Right-click the file you want to zip
- Select Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder.
How to zip a file in Windows 11:
- Right-click the file you want to zip.
- Select Compress to zip file.
How to unzip or uncompress a file in Windows 10 and 11
A compressed file (like a .zip, .rar, or .7z) can’t be opened directly because it is not stored in its original form — the data inside has been encoded and shrunk using a compression algorithm. To open the file, you will need to unzip it first.
- Right-click the file you want to unzip.
- Select Extract all.
- Select a file destination and click Extract.
To extract individual items in a zipped folder follow the steps below:
- Double click the file you want to unzip.
- Select the desired item and drag or copy the item from the zipped folder to a new location.
