When you download a compressed file, you will need to extract the contents - or “unzip” them - in order to access them. Another popular form of compressed, or archived, data is RAR. Compression can also permanently remove unnecessary bits, albeit at the cost of a perfect replica (lossy). Compression can temporarily remove redundancies in the files, which can then be re-created (lossless).
Zip files are a way to compress your data to make it more compact and quicker to transfer. If you want to secure your zip files with a password, we have a guide for that too. Thanks to this guide, you’ll become a pro at zipping and unzipping files between your Mac, iPad, and iPhone in no time. While you may have experience creating a zip file on a Windows-based computer, the process is slightly different on a Mac. Fitbit Versa 3Ĭreating zip files on a Mac might seem daunting at first, but you have a few options - and plenty of MacOS and iOS tools - at your disposal.