How to zip files to save hard drive space

To compress files using zip and save hard drive space, do the following:

  1. Open File Explorer.
  2. Navigate to the location with the items you want to compress.
  3. Right-click on an empty space, select New and click Compressed (zipped) Folder.
  4. Type a descriptive name for the folder and press Enter.
  5. Select the files and folders you want to compress.
  6. Right-click your selection, and choose Cut.
  7. Double-click the newly-created compressed folder.
  8. Right-click it and select Paste.
Note: You can always add more files to the zip folder by repeating steps 5, 6 and 7.

How to zip files to share with other people

If you're only trying to compress files to make it easier to send them over the internet, you can do the following:

  1. Open File Explorer.
  2. Navigate to the location of the items you want to compress.
  3. Select the files and folders you want to share.
  4. Right-click your selection, select Send to and click on Compressed (zipped) folder.
  5. Type a name for the compressed folder and press Enter.
Once you complete these steps, you can, for example, attach the compressed folder to the email to share files with others. After sending the email, you can safely delete the compressed folder as it only contains a copy of your original files.

Alternatively, you can select the items you want to send, and from the Share tab, click the Zip button to compress.

An article by Munna Suprathik