Zip and other archive files on a Mac: open, create and clean them up
Updated
Archives bundle many files into one, which makes them easy to send and easy to forget. After you unzip something, you usually have two copies: the archive and the folder it produced.
Open an archive
Double-click a .zip file and Archive Utility, which is built into macOS, unpacks it into a folder next to the archive. It also handles common formats such as .tar and .gz. Formats like .rar and .7z usually need a separate app, which you can find in the Mac App Store.
To see what is inside a zip without unpacking it, run unzip -l followed by the file's path in Terminal.
Create a zip
- Select the files or folder in Finder.
- Right-click and choose Compress.
- Finder creates Archive.zip for several items, or a zip named after the single item you chose.
To create a password-protected zip, use Terminal: zip -er Archive.zip FolderName asks for a password and encrypts the contents. Share the password separately from the file.
Why zip files from a Mac look odd elsewhere
When someone on Windows opens a zip made on a Mac, they may see an extra folder called __MACOSX and files starting with ._. These hold Mac-specific information such as Finder tags. They are harmless and can be ignored or deleted on the other computer.
Find old archives
- Open Downloads in list view and sort by Kind, which groups zip and other archive files together.
- For your whole Mac, create a Smart Folder with a Name rule set to ends with
.zip, adding other extensions in an Any group if you use them. - Sort by Size to see which archives are worth dealing with first.
When an archive will not open
- “Unable to expand” or an error from Archive Utility: the download may be incomplete. Download it again, ideally with a stable connection, and compare the file size with the one on the website.
- Asks for a password: the sender encrypted it. Ask them for the password through a different channel from the one the file came in.
- Unpacks into a single file with no extension: some archives are compressed twice, such as a .tar inside a .gz. Double-click the result to unpack the next layer.
- Opens on a Mac but files look broken on Windows: long or non-English file names can be mangled by older unzip tools. Ask the recipient to use their system's built-in extractor or a current archive app.
Which archives you can delete
| Archive | Usual choice |
|---|---|
| Unpacked, and the folder has everything you need | Delete the archive |
| Downloaded app or font you already installed | Delete |
| Backup or export you made on purpose | Keep, ideally on an external drive |
| Received from someone and not yet opened | Open first, then decide |
Before deleting an archive, open the unpacked folder and check a couple of files. Occasionally a download is incomplete and unpacking fails silently or partly.
Archives in FileSift
FileSift's home view has an Archives folder alongside Images, Videos, Music, Documents and Apps, with a live count and total size, so you can see how much space archives take before deciding anything. Open it to browse them as thumbnails, and use the Duplicates scan to find identical archives downloaded more than once. Removals go to the Trash first, after FileSift confirms the count and size.
Common questions
Is it safe to delete a zip file after unzipping it?
Yes, once you have checked the unpacked files open properly.
Why does my zip file unpack into another zip?
Some downloads are compressed twice. Double-click the inner file to unpack it too.
Related guides
- DMG and PKG installer files on a Mac: what they are and when to delete them
- How to clean up your Downloads folder on a Mac
- How to find large files on a Mac
- How to find files you have not opened in a long time on a Mac
- PDF files on a Mac: where they pile up and how to find them
More in File types, or see all guides.