- You can zip and unzip files in Windows 10 just by right-clicking them.
- To zip files, right-click them and select the "Send To" option.
- To unzip files, right-click the ZIP and select "Extract all."
Zipping is one of the oldest and most commonly used methods for compressing files. It's used to save space and share big files quickly.
In the past, you needed third-party programs like WinZip to unzip files in Windows. But Windows 10 lets you zip and unzip any file you want just by right-clicking.
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How to zip files in Windows 10
1. Put all the files you want to zip in the same location, like the same folder.
2. Select all the files. An easy way to do this is to drag a selection box around them with the mouse pointer, or hold down Ctrl as you click each one.
3. Right-click one of the selected files.
4. In the drop-down menu, choose Send to and then click Compressed (zipped) folder.
5. A new zip file will appear in the same folder. You can identify a zip file visually because the icon has a zipper on it.
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How to unzip files in Windows 10
There are two ways to unzip files, depending on whether you want to extract all the ZIP file's contents, or just a specific file.
Unzipping the entire file with 'Extract all'
1. Right-click the ZIP file. In the drop-down menu, click "Extract All…" The zip wizard will appear.
2. If you want to unzip the files to a different folder, click "Browse…" and choose a location.
3. Click "Extract" and the files will be unzipped and copied to the folder you chose.
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Unzipping specific files with drag-and-drop
1. Double-click the ZIP file you want to unzip. It'll open a folder, showing you the individual files inside.
2. Select all the files, or just the ones you want to use, and drag them out of the folder to another location on your computer. You can drag them into another folder, for example, or place them on the desktop.
The files can now be used normally. You can delete the ZIP file, if there's nothing left in there that you want.
William Antonelli
Tech Reporter for Insider Reviews
William Antonelli (he/she/they) is a writer, editor, and organizer based in New York City. As a founding member of the Reference team, he helped grow Tech Reference (now part of Insider Reviews) from humble beginnings into a juggernaut that attracts over 20 million visits a month. Outside of Insider, his writing has appeared in publications like Polygon, The Outline, Kotaku, and more. He's also a go-to source for tech analysis on channels like Newsy, Cheddar, and NewsNation. You can find him on Twitter @DubsRewatcher, or reach him by email at wantonelli@businessinsider.com.
