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How to zip files and folders on a Mac
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
In Finder, Control-click the files and choose Compress; you get Archive.zip for several items. In FileDial, select them and choose Archive › Make ZIP, or Archive › ZIP each file separately for one ZIP per file. Both run offline on your Mac.
The built-in way
Apple's guide is short: in Finder, Control-click a file or folder and choose Compress. A single item becomes its name plus .zip, so Photos becomes Photos.zip. Several items become one file called Archive.zip. To unzip, double-click the ZIP and the contents appear beside it.
For one folder this is hard to beat. It is already there, it is free, and it needs no app.
Where FileDial adds something
The built-in menu offers one behaviour. FileDial's Archive category has several, and each makes a new copy beside the original.
- Archive › Make ZIP: one ZIP of the selection
- Archive › ZIP each file separately: a ZIP per file, handy for sending files one by one
- Archive › ZIP with password…: a protected ZIP, see our password-protect guide
- Archive › Make 7Z, Archive › Make TAR.GZ, Archive › Compress with Zstandard: other formats
- Archive › Make disk image (DMG) and Archive › Make ISO: images for Mac or for Windows and Linux
- Archive › Split into ZIP parts…: for size limits, see our splitting guide
Steps for FileDial
This works for files, folders or a mix.
- Select the files or folders in Finder.
- Hold the right Option key to open the dial and choose Archive.
- Pick Make ZIP, or ZIP each file separately.
- Find the ZIP beside the originals. The result card shows the size before and after.
Know what ZIP is good at
ZIP is the common denominator: Windows, Mac and Linux all open it. It is not the strongest compressor, and its original design had limits on size and entry counts that the ZIP64 extension later raised. Wikipedia notes that some tools handle ZIP64 poorly, including macOS's Archive Utility in some cases, so for very large sets consider 7Z or split parts.
If you are mixing file types, remember that many files are already compressed. JPEG photos, MP4 video and PDFs barely shrink in a ZIP. Compress them with the right tool first, then zip them to bundle.
Windows recipients
Zips made in Finder can carry extra macOS metadata that looks like stray __MACOSX folders or ._ files when opened on Windows. That is cosmetic, but it confuses people. If you are sending to someone on Windows, Archive › Make ZIP is a reasonable choice and you can check the contents with Extract › List contents before you send.
Which archive format to choose
ZIP is the safe default when you do not know what the recipient uses. Windows, Mac and Linux all open it without extra software. 7Z, which Igor Pavlov created and which first appeared in 1999, usually compresses better and supports AES-256 encryption, but a recipient may need 7-Zip or The Unarchiver. TAR.GZ is common on Linux and in developer workflows. A tar file on its own bundles files without compressing them, and gzip then compresses the bundle.
Pick by audience. A client on Windows: ZIP. A colleague who uses Terminal: TAR.GZ is fine. Long-term storage where size matters and you control the tools: 7Z. For Mac-only disk images, Archive › Make disk image (DMG) writes a compressed read-only DMG, while Archive › Make ISO writes an image readable on Windows and Linux.
- Unknown recipient: Archive › Make ZIP
- One ZIP per file: Archive › ZIP each file separately
- Better compression, technical recipient: Archive › Make 7Z
- Developer or server use: Archive › Make TAR.GZ
- Windows and Linux disc image: Archive › Make ISO
Common mistakes and when FileDial fits
Zipping something huge and expecting a small file is the first. Photos, video and PDFs are already compressed, so a ZIP mainly bundles them. Shrink them with the right tool, then bundle. Second is zipping a folder that contains the output ZIP itself. Third is sending a ZIP with a sensitive file and no password; see our password-protect guide, because Finder's Compress cannot add one.
A fourth is forgetting that a ZIP made from the original names carries those names. If file names reveal anything private, rename first with the Rename tools. And finally, check the result: Extract › List contents writes a text listing so you can verify what went in without opening it.
For a single folder going to someone else, Finder's Compress is quick and enough. FileDial is useful when you want a different format, one ZIP per file, a password, split parts, or a package with a README and checksum manifest, or when you are zipping many selections in a row.
Being honest about it: if all you ever do is zip one folder, you do not need an extra tool for that part. The dial earns its place across the rest of the Archive category.
Questions
How do I zip a file on a Mac without extra software?
Control-click the file or folder in Finder and choose Compress. A single item becomes its own name plus .zip, so Photos becomes Photos.zip, and several items together become one file called Archive.zip. Double-clicking a ZIP extracts it beside the archive.
How do I make a separate ZIP for every file in a selection?
In FileDial, select the files and choose Archive › ZIP each file separately, which makes a ZIP per file. Finder's Compress would put several selected items into a single Archive.zip, so this tool is the quick route when each file must be sent or stored on its own.
Does zipping always make files smaller?
No. Text and documents can shrink, but JPEG photos, MP4 video and many PDFs are already compressed and shrink little or not at all. In those cases a ZIP mainly bundles files into one. Use the compress tools for the individual files first if size matters.