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In File Explorer, select the file or folder, right-click it, then choose Show more options > Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder. Windows creates a ZIP archive in the same location, using the selected item’s name. You can also select several items together to put them in one archive.
Create a ZIP file
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Open File Explorer from the taskbar or Start menu, or press Windows logo key + E.
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Browse to the file or folder you want to compress. To bundle multiple items, select them together.
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Right-click the selection. In Windows 11, choose Show more options if the full menu is not visible.
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Select Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder.
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Find the new ZIP in the same location. It takes its initial name from the selected file or folder. To change it, right-click the ZIP and choose Rename.
These File Explorer steps are documented by Microsoft Support for Windows 10 and Windows 11.
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Zip multiple files or add files later
Select all the files and folders you want before choosing the ZIP command; Windows puts the selection into one archive. If you already made the ZIP, drag additional files or folders into it to add them.
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Extract everything: Right-click the ZIP, select Extract All, then follow the prompts.
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Extract one item: Open the ZIP and drag the item you need to another location.
What to know about compression and privacy
A ZIP may not make files smaller
ZIP can bundle files for easier sharing and may reduce their size, but the result depends on what you compress. Already-compressed formats such as JPEG images may produce a ZIP about the same size as the originals, according to Microsoft’s ZIP guidance. Microsoft also describes compression as one way to reduce attachment size when sending files with Outlook in its attachment-size guidance.
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Putting an encrypted file in a ZIP can expose it
Microsoft warns that encrypted files added to a ZIP are unencrypted when extracted. Avoid zipping encrypted files if doing so could expose personal or sensitive information. A ZIP archive should not be treated as a way to preserve that file-level encryption.
Windows version and encrypted archive support
Windows 11 version 24H2 supports ZIP, RAR, 7z, and TAR archive formats. Microsoft says Windows does not support operations on encrypted archive files; for those, it points to non-Microsoft applications such as 7-Zip and WinRAR. This is a separate need from creating an ordinary ZIP in File Explorer, which does not require extra software.
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Microsoft’s ZIP instructions also cover Windows 10. However, Microsoft support for Windows 10 ended on October 14, 2025. Its inclusion in the ZIP instructions does not mean Windows 10 continues to receive free security fixes or technical support.
For the steps and current archive-format qualifications, see Microsoft Support: Zip and unzip files. For opening File Explorer, Microsoft also lists the Windows logo key + E shortcut in its File Explorer overview.
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