Create and Extract ZIP Archives

ZIP is the one archive format built into every major operating system without installing anything — Windows Explorer, macOS Finder, and most Linux file managers can create and open one natively. That universality is why it is the default choice when you need to send a folder of files to someone whose setup you do not control, rather than a more efficient format like 7z that they may not be able to open.

This tool runs ZIP creation and extraction in your browser using a WebAssembly build of libarchive, so it behaves the same regardless of your operating system. Drop files in to pack them, or drop an existing .zip to pull its contents back out — including password-protected archives, where you enter the password locally and it never leaves your device.

ZIP uses the DEFLATE algorithm, which trades some compression ratio for speed and near-universal compatibility. A folder of mixed office documents typically shrinks by 40-60% as a ZIP; the same folder as a .7z archive (LZMA2) might come in noticeably smaller, but at the cost of needing 7-Zip or a similar tool to open it on the other end.

If the person receiving the file already has a tool that can open anything, TAR.GZ or 7z usually pack tighter. If you are not sure what they can open, or the file is going to a general audience — an email attachment, a downloadable resource — ZIP is the safer default precisely because it needs no extra software.