Windows tip of the week

Compress bulky files using the Zip format

You don't need a third-party utility to work with compressed files using the popular Zip format. That support is built right into Windows. Confusingly, Windows calls these files Compressed (Zipped) Folders and uses a default icon that looks like a folder with a zipper overlaid on it.

To create a Zip file, open File Explorer (Windows Explorer in Windows 7), and select the file or files you want to compress. Right-click any of the selected files and then click Send To > Compressed (Zipped) Folder. That immediately creates a new Zip file in the current folder, with the filename highlighted. If you're happy with that name, press Enter; otherwise, rename the file to something more descriptive.

You can add one or more files by dragging and dropping them on that Zip archive. To extract all files, right-click a Zip file and then click Extract All. To extract one or a few files, double-click to open the Zip file in an Explorer window and then drag or copy the files.