How to archive files?

In this article, we'll look at the concept of "archiving" and learn how to archive files. And although this may look awesome, in fact this process is quite simple.

What is archiving?

Archiving is a process of compressing information, that is, reducing its size. Perhaps, almost everything was heard about the archiving. We will try to understand more. For example, your file occupies 1 MB on the disk. Archiving allows you to reduce the size of the document without losing the quality of the source information. That is, after compression, it will weigh 700 KB. In addition, archiving allows you to combine several documents into one document, in other words, to pack. For example, you have about 25 text documents. To send them all in one letter, you will have to attach each document separately. And if you archive the entire folder, then attach only one document - the archive. It's very convenient and fast.

Archiving files

First, you need to check if there is a program on your PC for archiving files. To do this, click on any document with the right mouse button. In the menu you should see the line "Add to archive", "WinRar" or "7 Zip". If such a line exists, then an archiver is already installed on your computer. If there is no line, then you have to download WinRaR 7 Zip or any other program for archiving. Archivers can be free and paid. WinRaR is a paid program, and 7 Zip can be downloaded for free.

Data archiving with WinRar

Now we will learn how to compress information using the WinRar program. To solve the problem of how to archive files, you need to right-click on the file or right-click the folder. A menu will open, where you should select "WinRar", then "Add to archive" or "Add to". In the window that appears, we can define compression parameters, that is, we can select the archive format, divide the archive into volumes, which is necessary if the file weighs a lot, determine the name of the future archive, the location of its storage, and additional options. Additional options include the ability to delete the original file after compression, create a password-locked archive, a continuous archive, and so on. It is also possible to check the received archive after the archiving procedure. Determine the compression parameters and click on "Ok".

A status window will appear where we can monitor the progress of the compression procedure and how long it will take. It is necessary to wait until it disappears. If you decide to cancel the process of archiving a document or change parameters, the process can be canceled.

After the status window disappears, an archive appears in the folder you specified. Now you know how to archive files in WinRaR. You can compare how much it takes up space on the disk, and how much the original file weighed. As a rule, the archives weigh considerably less. However, such a method can not provide a large compression of movies, music and images. To do this, you will need to use a different program.

Data archiving by the program 7 Zip

Program 7 Zip is free. In this program, file archiving is also done quite simply. You should also right-click on the folder or file that you want to add to the archive and select "7 Zip". Then select "Add to ..." in the additional menu. The name of the archive can be different, but the extension will be zip. A status window will also appear, where the archiving progress will be reflected. After it disappears, the backup will be completed.

Now you know how to archive files and folders. It's quite simple, but it saves space on your hard drive and your time. You yourself can choose which archiver, free or paid, to give preference. However, such a program is necessary on each computer, since most of the information on the Internet is stored in the form of archives.