How to Zip a File on Windows
Windows has built-in zip support — no extra software needed. This guide covers Windows 11, Windows 10, plus power-user tools like 7-Zip and WinRAR.
Method 1: Zip a File on Windows 11 (Built-in)
Windows 11 makes zipping files easier than ever with a dedicated option in the right-click menu.
Select your files
Open File Explorer and navigate to the file(s) you want to zip. Click a file to select it, or hold Ctrl and click to select multiple files.
Selecting multiple files in Windows 11 File Explorer
Right-click and choose Compress to ZIP file
Right-click on the selected files. In the context menu, click "Compress to ZIP file".
Windows 11 right-click context menu showing Compress to ZIP file option
Name your zip file
A new .zip file appears in the same folder. Type a name and press Enter. You're done!
Newly created zip file in Windows 11 with rename prompt
Method 2: Zip a File on Windows 10 (Built-in)
Windows 10 uses a slightly different menu path, but the process is just as simple.
Select your files in File Explorer
Open File Explorer and select the files you want to compress. Use Ctrl+Click for multiple files or Ctrl+A to select all.
Right-click > Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder
Right-click the selected files, hover over "Send to", then click "Compressed (zipped) folder".
Windows 10 right-click Send to Compressed zipped folder
Rename the zip file
Windows creates the zip file and highlights its name so you can immediately rename it. Press Enter when done.
Method 3: Using 7-Zip (Free)
7-Zip is a free, open-source tool that offers better compression and more format support than the built-in Windows option.
Download and install 7-Zip
Download 7-Zip from 7-zip.org and install it. It's free and open-source.
Select files and right-click
Select your files in File Explorer and right-click. Look for the 7-Zip submenu (on Windows 11, you may need to click "Show more options" first).
Click "Add to archive"
Click "Add to archive..." to open the 7-Zip dialog. Choose zip as the archive format, set your compression level, and click OK.
7-Zip Add to Archive dialog with zip format selected
Pro tip: For quick zipping with 7-Zip, right-click and choose "Add to [filename].zip" to skip the dialog entirely.
Method 4: Using WinRAR
WinRAR is a popular (paid) compression tool that supports zip, RAR, and other formats.
Install WinRAR
Download WinRAR from win-rar.com and install it.
Right-click > "Add to archive..."
Select your files, right-click, and choose "Add to archive..." from the WinRAR context menu.
Choose ZIP format and compress
In the archive dialog, select ZIP as the archive format, choose a compression method, and click OK.
Method 5: Using the Command Line (PowerShell)
For advanced users or scripting, PowerShell has a built-in compression command.
# Zip a single file
Compress-Archive -Path "C:\Users\You\file.txt" -DestinationPath "C:\Users\You\file.zip"
# Zip an entire folder
Compress-Archive -Path "C:\Users\You\MyFolder" -DestinationPath "C:\Users\You\MyFolder.zip"
# Zip multiple files
Compress-Archive -Path "file1.txt","file2.txt","file3.txt" -DestinationPath "files.zip"
Tips for Zipping Files on Windows
- Drag and drop: You can also drag files directly into an existing zip file to add them.
- Max file size: The built-in Windows zip tool supports archives up to 4 GB. Use 7-Zip for larger files.
- Password protection: The built-in tool doesn't support passwords. Use 7-Zip or WinRAR to password-protect zip files.
- Compression ratio: Text files compress very well (up to 90% smaller). Images and videos that are already compressed won't shrink much.
- Need to unzip? See our guide to unzipping files.
Last updated: March 2026