How To Extract .ZIP Files

ZIP files are scary to some people.  I get it.  I had no idea what they were when they first came out, and I just assumed it was something special that I wasn’t able to use.  That’s so wrong though!  

What Are ZIP Files?

Zipped files are just a special file used to compress other files.  Think of it like one of those fancy carry-on suitcases that you can magically shove everything into.  It makes your files smaller so they can be transferred easily.  

Below you’ll find a quick little video tutorial.  This is just an update of a VERY old blog post (circa 2012) on my old website that gets a lot of traffic.  For those of you who are .ZIP file newbies, I hope it’s helpful.

This was recorded in 2018, so things might look slightly different now… same process though.  If you don’t have time to watch, here are the quick directions:

*Note:  If you download a file and don’t immediately see it, be sure to check your “downloads” folder.  There’s a setting on you computer to tell it where to send downloads, so your’s is probably set to go to that folder.  I have mine set to my downloads folder so that I can keep my desktop clean.  

Directions for Mac

If you have a Mac, then you should be able to:

• Just double click on the ZIP folder and it will unzip and the opened folder will sit right next to it.
• OR you can right click and select “open”

Directions for PC

If you happen to be on a PC, then you should be able to do one of two things:

• Open the folder and drag the contents out to your desktop OR another folder where you want to store the files.
• Right click on the ZIP file and select “extract all.”

Zip files… totally not scary at all, right?  If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch and I can probably help you out.  

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