Zipping files requires a ZIP file program on your computer. Windows XP Professional now comes with a built-in compression utility, and to compress files under this operating system, right-click a file, select Send To, and then click Compressed (zipped) Folder. A new zipped folder containing the orginal file is now created. To change the name of this folder, right-click the folder, select Properties, and then enter a new name for the folder. Additional files can be added to the zipped folder by using the drag and drop method.

For other operating systems, the installation of a third-party ZIP file program is necessary to successfully compress files.

Although there are several programs that manage ZIP files, the tutorials below cover the 2 most popular utilities in this category, PKzip and WinZip.

Download PKzip   — 30-Day Evaluation
Download WinZip — Purchase Required to Zip Files

After downloading and installing one of the above programs, select from the following:

		Using PKzip
		Using WinZip

Using PKzip

Follow the instructions below to ZIP files using this utility.

1. Start PKzip
2. In the menu bar at the top, click File
3. Select New
4. Click on .ZIP File
5. The Save As window appears
6. Browse to select a location where you want to save your zipped file
7. Without selecting a file, enter a File Name for your soon-to-be-created ZIP archive
8. Click Save
9. The Add Files window appears
10. In the upper, left-hand area, browse to locate the file(s) you want to ZIP
11. In the upper, right-hand area, click the file(s)
12. To select multiple files, press and hold down the Ctrl key while clicking
13. Click the Add Files button
14. The files selected for zipping now appear in the Files & Directories To Zip dialog box at the bottom of the window
15. Click OK
16. The Add Status window appears
17. When Compression complete is displayed, click Done
18. A new window displaying the zipped file(s) appears
19. This compares the Original Size v. the now Compressed Size of the file(s)
20. To test the integrity of your zipped file(s), double-click any of the file names found under Filename
21. If the file opens correctly, Exit PKzip

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Using WinZip

Follow the instructions below to ZIP files using this utility.

1. Start WinZip
2. In the menu bar at the top, click File
3. Select New Archive
4. In the New Archive window, browse to select a location where you want to save your new ZIP archive file
5. Without selecting a file, enter a File Name for your soon-to-be-created ZIP archive
6. Click the OK button
7. The Add window appears
8. Browse to select the file(s) you want to ZIP
9. Click the file(s)
10. To select multiple files, press and hold down the Ctrl key while clicking
11. Click Add
12. A new window displaying the zipped file(s) appears
13. This lists the original Size, the Ratio (%) of compression, and the final Packed (compressed) size of the zipped file(s)
14. To test the integrity of your zipped file(s), double-click any of the file names found under the Name column
15. If the file opens correctly, Exit WinZip

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