How to Unzip a File on Mac

Aug 27, 2020 Robert McMullan Technology Comments Off on How to Unzip a File on Mac

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Oddly enough, many people still cringe at the sight of a zipped file, especially users who do most of their work on a Mac. This is funny because compression on Mac is significantly simpler than on Windows. 

In premise, in order to unzip a file, one just has to click twice on it. 

However, there’s more to it. In this article, we will cover how to unzip a file on Mac, and how to compress file as well. 

So keep reading to learn more.

What Is a .ZIP File?

In faculty, a .zip file is a compressed archive that can be used to make a collection of files or large files less weight-bearing upon the user’s device. When a ZIP is created, the data is compressed and often encrypted to reduce the total file size.

Several files can be compiled into a single ZIP, making it easier to email, download, and upload. When opening a file that has a .zip extension, one can extract the entire directory or a single file.

The ZIP format makes the process of sharing files much easier. For instance, if you had 30 different files that you wanted to email, you can simply compress them int a single .zip folder rather than uploading each individually.

macOS & OSX Compression

To the fortune of Mac users, there is a pre-built Archive Utility that includes the options for modifying and manipulating files in the ZIP pretense. However, don’t even think about looking through your Applications folder, because it simply isn’t there. Apple hides this utility for the sole purpose of it being a core feature of the OS. 

Apple uses core features to enhance the options of any other application. For instance, the Mail app has the Archive Utility which allows you to decompress and compress attachment without leaving the app. 

Because of the way the feature is set up, most people will never have to modify its settings. So try using it as default, and you can change something later if needed.

You can use the Archive Utility without doing anything extra for small files. However, if you need to modify a large subset of files, it might be a better idea to launch the utility and then drag the zipped folders on it. 

The utility itself can be found at System – Library – CoreServices – Applications. Or simply type Archive Utility in the Finder search bar. However, keep reading to learn how to unzip a file on Mac.

How to Unzip a File on Mac?

As mentioned earlier, unzipping a folder on Mac could not be any easier. Simply double-click the file, and the file will decompress in the same folder as it was prior. If that doesn’t suit you, right-click and choose the Archive Utility with the green icon next to it.

If the file you are decompressing only has one file, the new item will most likely have the same name as the original. If the file with the name is already present, the decompressed file will have an appended number next to its name, representing the order.

As you can see the answer to the question of “How to unzip a file on Mac?” is double-click.

How Folders Work for Unzipped Items

When a ZIP file has several items, the decompressed files will be stored in a folder that will have the same name as the ZIP file. For instance, if you choose to unzip an item that is called Folder.zip, the files will be placed in a folder called “Folder”. 

This folder will be located in the same folder as the Folder.zip file. If the folder already has a folder by the name of “Folder”, a number will be appended to it, such as “Folder 2”.

If you want to learn how to open RAR files, click here – https://setapp.com/how-to/open-rar-files-on-mac.

How to Zip a Single Folder/File?

If you want to know how to do the opposite of decompressing, you will be glad to find that it’s quite simple as well. 

Simply navigate to the folder or file you want to compress. Now control-click the item and select the Compress option. The name of the item you chose will appear after the word Compress, so the actual option might read Compress [file name].

After clicking on the option, the Archive Utility will zip the file. The original folder will be left intact so don’t worry. The compressed version should be in the same location where the original file was. It should have the same name as the original but with a .zip extension.

How to Zip Several Folders/Files?

The process behind zipping several folders/files is about the same as the process before. The only difference is in the name of the items that will appear in the options menu, and the names of the ZIP files created.

Begin by finding the folder that contains the folders/files you need to compress. Now select these times with shift-click so that you can pick several of them or command-click so that you can select files that are not in order. 

After you have done so, you can control-click on any of the highlighted items and selected OCmpress. The word Compress should be followed by the number of items you have chosen, such as Compress 12 items.

After compression is done, the items will be stored in a file that is called [Archive.zip], which should be found in the same folder as the originals. However, if you already have a folder with that name, you can expect to see it appended with 2, 3, and so on.

One interesting thing to mention is that is you delete the Archive.zip, then compress several files into the same folder, the new ZIP file will have the next number appended to it. So if you have compress four groups of several items, you will end up with files Archive.zip to Archive 4.zip. 

If you choose to delete the zip files from that folder and then zip another group, the new file name will be Archive 5.zip, even though the rest of the numbered archives have been deleted.

Mac Info

Now that you know how to unzip a file on Mac, you are well on your way to take control of your file management. As long as you don’t lose any items, you’re doing it right, and on Mac, it’s hard to do it wrong. 

If you’re interested in similar articles, go through the rest of our filtered pages on the top of the website.

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