How to archive files in zip windows 10. How to archive a file in zip? It couldn't be simpler! How to check if the archive is intact and if the files are damaged

Archiving is the process of placing files and folders into a special “compressed” file, which typically takes up significantly less space on your hard drive.

Thanks to this, much more information can be recorded on any medium, this information can be transferred faster over the Internet, which means archiving will always be in demand!

In this article we will look at how you can archive a file or folder on your computer; We will also touch on the most popular archiving programs.

Archiving using Windows

If you have a modern version of Windows OS (Vista, 7, 8), then its explorer has the ability to work directly with compressed zip folders. This is very convenient and allows you to compress many types of files quickly and without problems. Let's look at how to do this step by step.

Let's say we have a document file (Word). His actual size 553 KB.

1) To archive such a file, right-click on it, then select the “send/compressed zip folder” tab in the Explorer context menu. See screenshot below.

2) That's it! The archive should be ready. If you go to its properties, you will notice that the size of such a file has decreased by about 100 KB. Not much, but if you compress megabytes or gigabytes of information, the savings can be very significant!

By the way, the compression of this file was 22%. The built-in Windows Explorer makes it easy to work with such compressed zip folders. Many users don't even realize that they are dealing with archived files!

Archiving by programs

Zip folders alone are not enough for archiving. Firstly, it has already been stated that there are more advanced formats that allow you to compress the file even more (in this regard, an interesting article about comparing archivers:). Secondly, not all operating systems directly support working with archives. Thirdly, the operating speed of the OS with archives may not always suit you. Fourthly, no one will be disturbed additional functions when working with archives.

Some of the most popular programs for archiving files and folders are WinRar, 7Z and File Commander - Total Commander.

WinRar

After installing the program, the context menu will allow you to add files to archives. To do this, right-click on the files and select the function as shown in the screenshot below.

The created Rar archive compressed the file even more strongly than Zip. True, the program spends more time working with this type...

7z

A very popular archiver with a high degree of file compression. Its new "7Z" format allows you to compress some file types stronger than WinRar! Working with the program is very simple.

After installation, in Explorer there will be context menu with 7z, all you have to do is select the option to add a file to the archive.

By the way, as mentioned, 7z did not compress much, but it compressed more than all previous formats.

Total Commander

One of the most popular commanders for working in Windows OS. It is considered the main competitor of Explorer, which is built into Windows by default.

1. Select the files and folders that you want to archive (they are highlighted in red). Then on the control panel, click the “pack files” function.

2. A window with compression settings should open in front of you. The most popular compression methods and formats are present here: zip, rar, 7z, ace, tar, etc. You need to select a format, set a name, paths, etc. Next, click on the “OK” button and the archive is ready.

3. What makes the program convenient is its focus on the user. Beginners may not even notice that they are working with archives: you can easily enter, exit, and add other files just by dragging them from one program panel to another! And there is no need to have dozens of archivers installed on your computer in order to archive files in various formats.

Conclusion

By archiving files and folders, you can significantly reduce the size of files and, accordingly, place more information on your disk.

But remember that not all file types should be compressed. For example, it is almost useless to compress video, audio, pictures*. There are other methods and formats for them.

* By the way, the “bmp” image format can be compressed quite well. Other formats, for example, such a popular one as “jpg”, will not give any benefit...

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In order to add files or folders to an archive using WinRAR, you need to go to WinRAR and open the folder in which the files or folders you want to archive are located. Select what you need and click "Add".

If the settings for installing the program in Windows are set by default, then you can simply right-click on the file or folder and click “Add to archive” in the menu that opens.

In the window that appears, you can configure many additional settings. In the general tab you can:

1. Enter the name of the archive in the input field indicated by the number 1 in the picture.

2. Specify the folder to create the archive by clicking the " button Review" and specifying the path to the folder.

3. Choose an archive format RAR or ZIP: "

3.1 RAR is a format that can only be opened using an archiver program (WinRAR, 7Zip, etc.). And, if you need to transfer this archive to someone via the Internet, media, or anything else, and you are not sure that an archiver program is not installed on the recipient’s computer, then you should not do this. But the advantage of this format in the WinRAR program is that when archiving, files are compressed more strongly than when archiving using the ZIP format. You also cannot create a continuous archive, block it, add electronic signature and add recovery information. "
3.2 ZIP is a format that can be opened on any computer, because this format is standard and supported on almost any platform, which is a definite plus when transferred to a user who may not have an archiver program on their computer. Minuses of this format opposite to the advantages of the RAR format.

4. Select the compression method, and there are 6 of them, starting from “No compression” and ending with “Maximum”. I will explain some of them. "

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4.1. "No compression" is useful for those cases when you just need to archive a large number of files. In order to simplify your life, namely, if you need to send it by mail or copy it to some medium (still, they probably know that copying, say, 1 gigabyte with one file will be much faster than copying the same file, but only let’s say 1000 files). And besides, archiving using this method will be done very quickly. "
4.2. "High-speed" has the same advantages as "No compression" and in addition the information will be slightly compressed. "
4.3. The “regular” method is useful for those who want to clean up their computer and slightly increase the space on their machine, but at the same time have constant access to archived information. "
4.4. “Maximum” is convenient because it compresses information as much as possible in order to save precious megabytes. Useful when you need, say, to download a toy from a friend, etc. and there is not enough space on the disk or flash drive. It is also useful for saving traffic on the Internet if you need to transfer a certain amount of information to someone. "
4.5 I didn’t write about “Fast” and “Good”, because, well, they are so fast and good)) and, if in fact, I didn’t write, because... they are intermediate and I don’t see them as unique... a little better than the one in front of it and a little worse than the next one.

5. Divide the archive into volumes, indicating the required size for yourself. This is very convenient if you need to transfer a large amount of information and there are several media of equal capacity. You just need to specify the size of one volume. The program indicates volume sizes for standard media:

"Floppy disk - 3.5" (approximately 1.4 megabytes)
"Minidisk - Zip100 (approx. 95 megabytes)
"CD - CD700 (700 megabytes)
"DVD disc - DVD+R (approximately 4.5 gigabytes)

6. Select an update method.

7. Specify additional archiving parameters "

7.1. "Delete files after packaging." Immediately after the files you have selected are archived (packed), they will be deleted, but will remain in the archive. This item can be selected if you want to archive rarely used information to save space on your hard drive. "
7.2. "Create SFX archive." By selecting this item, WinRAR will create an SFX archive. What is an SFX archive? An SFX archive is a self-extracting archive, the same as an ordinary archive, only with a slight improvement: a special module is added to it, which adds a self-extracting function, i.e. "SFX archive = RAR archive + SFX module." When opening such an archive, you will be asked to specify the folder to unzip and confirm or cancel the extraction. It will look like this:

7.3 "Create a continuous archive"

And after clicking “OK” the folder will begin and after a certain period of time will finish archiving.

Probably, many in childhood were faced with a situation when, when preparing us for a hiking trip or to a recreation center, our parents packed our things so compactly that there was even extra space left in the backpack. When we were going back home, we couldn’t pack even half of our things. Approximately the same situation occurs with computer data. The 7-Zip program acts as a compression device to compress information and place it in one container. But few people know in Zip. Therefore, the article will analyze popular programs, their capabilities and detailed steps for archiving and unzipping files and folders.

Information about archives and their purpose

Archiving files has been practiced for quite a long period of time. Previously, almost every user computer device knew how to zip and unzip a file, because every byte of memory counted. With the growth and improvement of technology, and with it the speed of the Internet, users are gradually beginning to forget about this program. By downloading or uploading a file to Global network, people are increasingly interested in questions about what is how to archive files?

One of the most popular information compression programs now is the 7-Zip archiver. It is faster than its analogues and is optimized for new versions of operating systems. This program is created based on an advanced algorithm using an optimal compression method. Files with the .zip extension do not take up much space, and their archiving process is the fastest. Agree, in our age of the Internet it is easier to transfer data in one file than to attach one document to a message. But how to archive a file or folder if you have never encountered an archiver program before? To understand this issue, you first need to install the necessary software on your computer.

Program installation

Installing and configuring 7 Zip is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance. Previously, archivers were paid, so users tried to download installation applications from websites that were not scanned by antivirus software. Now, to download the program, you just have to go to the official website of the developers of the 7-Zip archiver and get the full package of fun completely free of charge. How to install the program? You just need to launch the downloaded application that is compatible with the type of your operating system, select the path to the folder where it will be installed (by default it is selected system folder Program Files), and wait until the installer finishes copying and unpacking the files. The installation process takes a split second, after which you can move on to the question of how to archive the file in Zip. But you should remember that if you do not configure the program correctly, you will not be able to read a single file, so below you need to read brief recommendations on setting parameters.

Easy setup of 7-Zip archiver

The first launch of the program requires small settings. To do this, select the “Service” item in the menu. Open “Settings” and in the “System” tab, check the boxes next to all available formats. This way your program will be able to decrypt literally all known archive formats, be it ISO, RAR or any others.

Step-by-step instructions for creating and adding files to the archive

If you are wondering how to archive a file in Zip, you need to follow this algorithm:

So we figured out how to compress. Archiving a folder and files, as you can see, is not particularly difficult.

data archiver

LZMA. This algorithm is based on a scheme for compressing materials using a dictionary. It compresses data quite well, which is why the 7-Zip program has gained quite a lot of popularity.
LZMA2 is an improved compression algorithm. It has some advantages over the previous method.
PPMd. This algorithm is based on context modeling. It is good for its compression without data loss.
BZip2 is probably the oldest compression algorithm. It is quite efficient, but can only execute one command at a time: decompression or compression.

We looked at compression methods, now you can choose how to archive a file in Zip.

Ability to set a password for the archive

There is a great option to set a simple or complex password. How to install it, thereby protecting the archive from attackers who are trying to capture your data and files on the Internet? After you click on the "Add to archive" button, a window appears with the ability to select a compression method, future expansion and other parameters for creating an archive. On the right, in the same window, you can see an empty line for the encryption password. It must be entered twice and then saved by pressing the “Ok” button.

So we figured out the main points using the 7zip archiver. The unzipping process is as simple and convenient even for novice users.

Sometimes you need to create an archive from a folder in order to send it via e-mail or in in social networks. Currently, there are many ways to archive folders and files: for each user and different needs. In this article you will learn how to archive files using the Windows system, using the WinRAR program, as well as using online services.

How to archive a file using Windows

In the operating room Windows system A utility is immediately provided that archives files and folders in ZIP format. From this you will not get a noticeable reduction in the volume of the folder, however, you will be able to get a full-fledged archive.

Find the folder or file you want to archive. Right-click on it and select “Send”.

Hover your cursor over this item and wait until a new drop-down window appears. In it you need the “Compressed ZIP folder” option.

Your archive will appear in the same directory. You can rename it as you wish.

As you can see in the example, almost no file compression occurs. This method will only help you create an archive.

How to archive a file using WinRAR

A special program for archiving WinRAR allows you to create ZIP and RAR archives, configure their parameters and set passwords for the archive. Here you will find more fine tuning parameters.

Go to the official website, where you can download the utility for free http://www.win-rar.ru/download/
If you are satisfied English language programs, then click on the one you need operating system and bit depth in the top column.

If you prefer Russian in programs, then scroll the page a little lower and select the desired bit depth. You can view it in your computer's system settings.

Installing and downloading the program will take a few minutes. You need to accept license agreement and specify the installation directory.
After that, right-click on the folder you want to archive.
Several new items with an archive icon will appear in the drop-down menu. Select “Add to archive”.

Here you can immediately set a name for your file, a ZIP, RAR or RAR S format to choose from, and also set a password using the “Set password” button. With this protection, only people who know the password will be able to view the password.

In the second tab “Advanced” you can configure some more parameters: for example, set the computer to turn off after archiving is completed.

The “Files” tab contains the path to save your archive.
If you click “Append” you can enter your address.

And finally, in the “Times” tab, you can set the archiving date and time. In some situations this is a very important setting.
Now click “Ok” and wait for the archiving process to finish. If the folder was large enough, then the waiting time would be long.

How to archive a file online

If you don't really want to download special utilities for archiving folders and files, it will be much more convenient to use online services. As an example, you can resort to the site https://www.online-convert.com