How to archive a file in Zip. How to archive a file or folder

Probably, many in the childhood faced with a situation when, collecting us in a hiking trip or on a recreation center, parents packed so compactly that there was even a superfluous place in the backpack. Going back home, we could not pack half of our things. Approximately the same situation is obtained with computer data. Program 7-Zip acts as a press device for compressing information and placing it in one container. But few know how to archive a file in Zip. Therefore, in the article, popular programs, their capabilities and detailed steps for archiving and decompressing files and folders will be disassembled.

Information about archives and their purpose

Archiving files has been practiced for quite a long period of time. Previously, practically every user of a computer device knew how to archive and unzip the file, because each byte of memory was in the account. With the growth and improvement of technology, and with it the speed of the Internet, users are gradually beginning to forget about this program. Downloading or uploading a file to the Global Network, people are increasingly interested in questions about what is data archiving, how to archive files?

One of the most popular compression programs is the 7-Zip archiver. It is more nimble among its counterparts and is optimized for new versions of operating systems. This program is based on an improved algorithm using the optimal compression method. Files with the .zip extension do not take up much space, the process of archiving them is the fastest. Agree, in this age of the Internet it is easier to transfer data in one file than to attach one document to a message on one document. But how do I archive a file or folder if you have not previously encountered an archiver program? To understand this issue, you must first install the necessary software on your computer.

Program installation

Installation and configuration 7 Zip is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance. Previously, archivers were paid, so users tried to download installation applications from websites that have not been scanned by antivirus software. Now, to download the program, it is only to go to the official website of the developer of the 7-Zip archiver and get a complete package of fun for free. How to install the program? You just need to start the downloaded application compatible with your operating system type, select the path to the folder where it will be installed (by default the system folder is selected Program Files), and wait until the installer completes copying and unpacking the files. The installation process takes a fraction of seconds, after which you can proceed to the question of how to archive the file in Zip. But remember that if you do not configure the program correctly, you will not be able to read any file, so below is a brief summary of the settings.

Easy setup of the 7-Zip archiver

The first run of the program requires small settings. To do this, select the menu item "Service". Open the "Settings" and in the "System" tab we tick all available formats. So your program will be able to decipher literally all known archive formats, be it ISO, RAR or any other.

Step-by-step instruction on creating and adding files to the archive

If you are wondering how to archive a file in Zip, you need to follow this algorithm of actions:

1. We put the files in one folder, so that when opening the program-archiver was able to select all the necessary materials. If you need to add different types of data to the archive: folders, documents, audio and video, then create a root folder, and throw in the necessary materials.
2. Now you can open the program-archiver. In it, using the pressed button of the keyboard Ctrl, select the necessary materials. As soon as the necessary files are selected, we turn to the question of how to archive files. The 7-Zip program is simple and convenient in this regard.
3. In the toolbar of the archiver, click on the green "+" icon, thereby adding our selected materials to the archive. Before you open the settings window.
4. To have our future archive with a .zip extension, change the value of 7z to zip in the drop-down list of the archive format. You must also select the compression level. By default, the program sets the normal compression type, but if you need to minimize your materials, then there is the possibility of ultrasonic compression, in which the quality of the photo, video or audio is slightly lost. Compression methods will be considered a little further, you yourself can select your own.

So we figured out how to squeeze. Archiving a folder and files, as you can see, is not particularly difficult.

Methods of data compression by the archiver

• LZMA. This algorithm is based on the scheme of material compression by dictionary. It compresses the data quite well, which makes the 7-Zip program very popular.
• LZMA2 is an advanced compression algorithm. Has some advantages over the previous method.
• PPMd. This algorithm is based on contextual modeling. It is good with its compression without losing data.
• BZip2 is probably the oldest compression algorithm. It is quite efficient, but it can execute only one command at a time: unpacking or compressing.

We looked at the compression methods, now you can choose how to archive the file in Zip.

Ability to set a password for the archive

There is an excellent opportunity to set a simple or complex password. How to install it, to thereby protect the archive from intruders who are trying to capture your data and files on the Internet? After you click on the "Add to archive" button, a window appears with a choice of compression method, future expansion and other options for creating the archive. On the right, in the same window, you can see an empty string for the encryption password. It must be entered twice, and then saved by pressing the "OK" button.

So we figured out the main points of how to archive a folder using the 7zip archiver. The process of unzipping is as simple and convenient even for novice users.