ZIP files are scary to some people. I get it. I had no idea what they were when they first came out, and I just assumed it was something special that I wasn’t able to use. That’s so wrong though!
What Are ZIP Files?
Zipped files are just a special file used to compress other files. Think of it like one of those fancy carry-on suitcases that you can magically shove everything into. It makes your files smaller so they can be transferred easily.
Below you’ll find a quick little video tutorial. This is just an update of a VERY old blog post (circa 2012) on my old website that gets a lot of traffic. For those of you who are .ZIP file newbies, I hope it’s helpful.
This was recorded in 2018, so things might look slightly different now… same process though. If you don’t have time to watch, here are the quick directions:
*Note: If you download a file and don’t immediately see it, be sure to check your “downloads” folder. There’s a setting on you computer to tell it where to send downloads, so your’s is probably set to go to that folder. I have mine set to my downloads folder so that I can keep my desktop clean.
Directions for Mac
If you have a Mac, then you should be able to:
- Just double click on the ZIP folder and it will unzip and the opened folder will sit right next to it.
- OR you can right click and select “open”
Directions for PC
If you happen to be on a PC, then you should be able to do one of two things:
- Open the folder and drag the contents out to your desktop OR another folder where you want to store the files.
- Right click on the ZIP file and select “extract all.”
Zip files… totally not scary at all, right? If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch and I can probably help you out.
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