How to Create a ZIP File Online

The ZIP format has existed for decades, and for good reason: it's the simplest way to group several files into one and, in the process, reduce their size. Whether to send a complete folder or to archive documents, knowing how to create a ZIP is a handy habit.

What is a ZIP file?

A ZIP archive is a single container that gathers one or more files, and even entire folders, while compressing them. The recipient receives a single file, which they "unzip" to recover all the original documents, perfectly intact.

Two advantages in one

• Grouping: instead of sending ten separate attachments, you send only one. It's cleaner, tidier, and the recipient won't risk forgetting one.
• Compression: the ZIP reduces the total size, which is valuable for staying within email size limits.

Note: the compression gain depends on the file type. Text documents, spreadsheets and code files compress very well. Conversely, JPG photos or videos, already compressed, will gain little size in a ZIP — but the grouping benefit remains fully intact.

When to use a ZIP?

The ZIP is ideal whenever you handle several files at once: sending a complete application file, sharing a project's deliverables, archiving a year's documents, or simply tidying a set of files before backing them up. It's also a universal format: every operating system can open a ZIP without extra software.

And to open a ZIP you receive?

The reverse operation, decompression, is just as simple. You open the archive and recover the files it contains, identical to the originals. This is useful when a correspondent sends you a ZIP and you want to extract a specific document.

The right privacy habit

Creating or opening an archive directly in your browser, without sending the files to a server, ensures your documents stay private. This is particularly valuable when the archive contains administrative papers, contracts or personal data. Everything happens on your device, from start to finish.