How to compress documents into a zip folder. Creating ZIP archives

There are a huge number of archiving programs that differ in the way of archiving (format) and functionality, popularity. In this article, I will consider a program such as WinRar, which is the most popular among users.

Now let's understand archive formats a bit. them on this moment there is a huge variety, and they differ mainly in the quality of compression. For Windows, rar, zip, and 7zip are the most suitable; on *nix operating systems, bz2, gz, and lzma are more common. The zip format is a standard, it is supported by many operating systems at the level system applications, i.e. To work with it, there is no need to install third-party programs.

Let's proceed directly to the creation of the archive. Download the WinRar program, this program is paid, but it is possible to download free version. With it, you can create rar and zip archives, as well as open almost all other formats. Once installed, it integrates with contextual windows menu and associates itself with archive format files. To quickly create an archive and add a file (files, folder) to it, click right click click on the file (on a group of selected files, folder) and select "add to archive ...".

A window will appear in which you can specify the name of the archive, select the format: rar or zip, compression level, as well as some other format-specific options. If you need to quickly merge many files into one or send compressed file via the Internet, the default settings are fine for you.

In order for another user to be able to open your rar or zip archive without having an archiver installed on the computer, you need to check the box “Create SFX archive”. This option allows you to create a self-extracting archive.

Sometimes it happens that the transferred archive is damaged as a result of a media failure or a bad communication channel. By checking the box “add information for recovery”, the archiver will add a block of redundant information to the file, which later, with a high degree of probability, will allow you to restore a damaged archive, this will slightly increase the file size.

If target file If you get a size that does not fit on the media, you can split the archive into several files, while specifying the volume size suitable for this media. To do this, in the "split the archive into volumes" line, select the size from the proposed list or enter your own.

After selecting all the necessary options, click the “OK” button to create the archive.

Extracting files from an archive

To quickly extract files from an archive, right-click on the archive and select “Extract files…” from the context menu.

You can extract the files from the archive to a specific folder, to a folder that will have the name of the archive, or directly to the folder where the archive itself is located.

All the above actions and operations performed using WinRar software, are completely or largely true for other archiving programs. To be fair, it is worth noting that archivers were originally created to pack and compress textual information, so when archiving graphic and other multimedia data, the size will decrease slightly.

Sooner or later, almost every computer user is faced with the need to archive files or extract data from an archive. It is likely that you can safely do without archiving, knowing nothing about it and not using it. A logical question arises: then why do we need to archive files? Let's say you're about to send a large number of files, such as photos, to someone over the Internet. You can add them one by one or several pieces, but it's easy to go astray, and it will take a lot of time. But archive photos It will be much easier and more convenient, and not only for you, but also for the recipient. This is just one example, the ability to work with archiving programs can come in handy in other situations. Now let's look directly at how to archive files.

How to archive a file, folder and other documents?

For this we need an archiver. Personally, I advise you the program, as it is completely free, unlike some others, and easy to use. You can download it by clicking on the following link - http://7-zip.org.ua/ru

So, downloaded, installed, it's time to find out how to archive files.
Select the files you want to archive. Calling context menu by right-clicking on them. We are looking for the program 7-Zip, select the item "Add to archive (Add to archive)".

In the window that appears, you can set the archiving settings.

We will not touch most of the settings, they are set by default, as expected. We are interested in the following points:

1. Archive - you can enter the name that the archive will have;
2. Archive format - I advise you to simply select 7z and not bother;
3. Compression level - choose here depending on the ones you are compressing and their size. For example, if your goal is archive video or other large files to reduce their size and free up some space on your computer, then select Maximum or Ultra. If you just need archive photo to send over the Internet, it is better to choose Fast, High-Speed ​​or No Compression at all, if there are not many photos and the total size is not large.

This completes the settings in this window, it is better not to change the rest of the parameters. The only thing is that you can still put a password on the archive if you are very worried about the confidentiality of the data you send or just want to secure any important documents on your computer.

To do this, simply enter your password and repeat it. In order not to get confused and not make a mistake, you can click Show password - then the characters that you enter will be displayed, and not asterisks instead of them. Just keep in mind that although you won’t be able to open or extract files from the archive without a password, the contents of the archive are still displayed. So an outsider will see the type and name of the files in the archive.

So, set the settings, click OK. After a while, depending on the size of the files, the archive is ready.

If you are interested, how to zip a folder, then everything is exactly the same here, only at the very beginning we right-click on the desired folder. Now consider the reverse process, that is.

Archive extraction.

Since we have several files in the archive, we first create a folder for them by right-clicking on a free area.

This way we will be able to carefully extract the files to one place, otherwise they may be scattered and unordered.

Now open the archive and select all or only individual files and click on the Extract button at the top of the panel.

In the window that appears, you can choose where the files will be extracted. To do this, press the button to select the path, then select the folder. As you can see, you can create an empty folder immediately before extracting files if you forgot to do it earlier. Confirm your choice, then click OK again.

If you set a password for the archive, a window will now appear for entering it.

As already mentioned, without entering a password, you can see the names, type and size of the files in the archive, but you will not be able to open them or extract them without a password. We write the password and click OK, if it exists, and if not, then the files have already been extracted and are in the folder.

How to check if the archive is intact, if the files are not damaged.

In addition to knowledge, how to zip a file, It doesn't hurt to be able to check it for integrity. It is quite simple to do this: open the archive and click the Test button on the panel at the top.

After testing, a window with the result will appear.

Why and when do you need to test the archive?

• Firstly, if some kind of failure occurred or the system hung while adding files to the archive. So you can find out if the backup was successful or if it will have to be done again.
• Also testing will be useful if you want archive documents and make sure they are safe.
• Or if you are archiving a large file to free up disk space, then before deleting the original file, it is better to make sure that the archiving was successful. And if an error is found, then just pack the files into a new archive, and delete the old one.

How to view archive information?

And finally, consider how to find out full information about the archive. To do this, on the program panel, click the Information button.

After that, a window will immediately appear with all the information on the archive that you may be interested in.

Here, in fact, are all the functions of the program that may be useful to you. Now you know how to archive a file , how to zip a folder and how to extract files from an archive. The only thing left to do is to experiment a little with the compression levels depending on the type and size of the file and determine which compression level is the most optimal for your purposes. By the way, as you may have noticed at the beginning of the lesson, some functions of the archiver can also be accessed from the context menu.

From here, you can add files to a new archive instantly, which will use the default settings and the archive will appear in the same folder as the files you add.

I hope the lesson is how to archive files was very informative for you and the knowledge gained will still be useful to you in working with a computer. The main thing is not to stop there, because often ignorance of some trifle greatly complicates the work and requires additional time and effort. Thank you for your attention!

Data compression (lossless) is used. Thus, the size of an archive can be smaller than the size of all the original data it contains. Archives can be used for long-term data storage, consolidation a large number files into one or to reduce the data size.

Opening the archive is not difficult. supports Zip archive s. Therefore, the Zip archive can be opened on any computer with an operating system. Windows system even without installing additional programs. To open archives of other types, you need to install special program archiver. In any case, in order to open the archive, just click on it with the mouse. On the other hand, archiving data is no longer so easy, there may be options. In this article, we will talk about how to archive a folder.

How to archive a folder using the built-in Windows tools.

You can archive a folder without installing any archiver software. To do this, right-click on the folder and select "Send - Compressed Folder".

After that, the process of archiving the folder will start. The archiving time depends on the size of the folder.

After the folder is archived, a ZIP will appear next to the folder. This is your archive.

By default, the archive icon looks like a regular folder with a zipper.

This method of archiving a folder is very simple, but it does not give the user control over the archiving process. Therefore, if you need to regularly archive folders and files, it is better to install an archiver program.

How to zip a folder using 7zip.

The 7zip program is the most advanced and popular . Compared to the equally popular, but paid, WinRAR archiver, the 7zip archiver has only one drawback - the inability to create archives in RAR format. Other than that, 7zip is just as good.

You can download the 7zip program on the website. After installing the 7zip program, a new menu item will appear in the context menu of folders and files - “7-Zip”. With this item, you can archive a folder or files.

Consider the menu items "7-Zip":

• Add to archive - a window with archiving settings will open. Here you can specify the compression level, as well as other data.
• Compress and send by email - the same as the previous paragraph, but followed by sending by email.
• Add to "file name.7z" - the folder will be archived in 7z format using standard settings.
• Compress to "file name.7z" and - the same as the previous paragraph, but followed by sending by e-mail.
• Append to "file name.zip" - the folder will be archived in zip format using standard settings.
• Compress to "file name. zip" and send by email - the same as the previous paragraph, but followed by sending by email.

In order to access all archiving settings, use the "Add to archive" menu item.

In the "Add to Archive" window, you can specify the archive format, compression level, encryption settings, and other settings. To start the archiving process, just click on the "OK" button.

Archiving is the process of putting files and folders into a special "compressed" file, which, as a rule, takes up much less space on your hard drive.

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

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

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 take a look at how to do it step by step.

Let's say we have a document file (Word). Its real size is 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) Everything! The archive must 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 File Explorer built into Windows makes it easy to work with these compressed zip folders. Many users do not even realize that they are dealing with archived files!

Archiving programs

For archiving, zip folders alone are not enough. Firstly, there are already better 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 speed of the OS with archives may not always suit you. Fourth, don't bother anyone additional functions when working with archives.

One of the most popular programs for archiving files and folders - these are WinRar, 7Z and file commander - Total Commander.

winrar

After installing the program in the context menu, you will be able 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 archive "Rar" compressed the file even more strongly than "Zip". True, the program spends more time to work with this type ...

7z

A very popular archiver with a high degree of file compression. Its new "7Z" format lets you compress certain types of files more than WinRar! It is very easy to work with the program.

After installation, the explorer will have a context menu with 7z, you just have to select the option to add a file to the archive.

By the way, as mentioned, 7z is not much, but compressed more strongly 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 you want to archive (they are highlighted in red). Then, on the control panel, click on the "compress 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. Then 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, add other files just by dragging and dropping from one program panel to another! Yes, and it is unnecessary 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, put more information on your disk.

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

* By the way, the image format is "bmp" - you can compress it well. Other formats, for example, such a popular one as "jpg" - will not give any gain ...

In this article, we will look at the concept of "archiving" and get acquainted with how to archive files. While it may look intimidating, the process is actually quite simple.

What is archiving?

Archiving is the process of compressing information, that is, reducing its size. Almost everyone has heard of archiving. Let's try to figure it out in more detail. For example, your file occupies 1 MB on disk. Archiving allows you to reduce the size of a document without losing the quality of the original information. That is, after compression, it will weigh 700 KB. In addition, archiving allows you to combine several documents into one document at once, in other words, pack them. For example, you have about 25 text documents. To send all of them in one letter, you will have to attach each document separately. And if you archive the entire folder, then you will have to attach only one document - the archive. It is very convenient and fast.

File archiving

First you need to check if there is a program on your PC. To do this, right-click on any document. In the menu, you should see the line "Add to archive" ("Add to the archive"), "WinRar" or "7 Zip". If there is such a line, then the archiver is already installed on your computer. If there is no line, then you will have to download WinRaR 7 Zip or any other program for archiving. Archivers can be free and paid. WinRaR is paid program, and 7 Zip can be downloaded for free.

programwinrar

Now we will learn how to compress information using the WinRar program. To solve the problem, you need to right-click on the file or folder right away. A menu will open where you should select the item "WinRar", and then "Add to archive" or "Add to". In the window that appears, we can define the compression settings, that is, we can choose the volumes that are needed if the file weighs a lot, determine the name of the future archive, where it will be saved, as well as additional options. TO additional options include the ability to delete the original file after compression, the creation of a password-locked archive, a continuous archive, and so on. It is also possible to check the received archive after the archiving procedure. Set the compression options and click OK.

A status window will appear where we can monitor how the compression procedure is going and how long it will take. You have to wait until it disappears. If you decide to cancel the document archiving process or change the settings, you can cancel the process.

After the status window disappears, an archive will appear in the folder you specified. Now you know WinRaR. You can compare how much disk space it takes up and how much the original file weighed. As a rule, archives weigh much less. However, this method will not be able to provide a large compression of movies, music and images. To do this, you will have to use another program.

Archiving data with 7 Zip

The 7 Zip program is free. In this program, archiving files is also done quite simply. You must also right-click on the folder or file that you want to add to the archive and select "7 Zip". Then, in the additional menu, select the item "Add to ...". The name of the archive may be different, but the extension will be zip. A status window will also appear showing the progress of the backup. After it disappears, archiving will be completed.

Now you know how to archive files and folders. This is quite simple, but it saves hard drive space and your time. You can choose which archiver, free or paid, to prefer. However, such a program is necessary on every computer, since most information on the Internet is stored in the form of archives.