Archive Files and Folders Before Sharing

When you plan to send a file (or a folder full of files) across a network, you should create a compressed copy that takes less disk space and less time to transfer. A compressed file or collection of files is called an archive. Making an archive also helps prevent the file from getting corrupted along the way. (Don't compress PDF files because they're already compressed.)

To create an archive:

Select a file or a folder full of files.

Or select more than one file; you can compress a group of selected files into one archive.

From the File menu, choose "Create Archive."

Or Control-click the item and choose "Create Archive" from the contextual pop-up menu (shown below-left).

The finished archive will be in the same folder as the original files.

To open an archived file to convert it to its original, uncompressed state, double-click it.