"What is 'Zip' and 'WinZip'?": Understanding Zipping and Unzipping Files

Question: "What is 'Zip' and 'WinZip'?": Understanding Zipping and Unzipping Files

April, 2009

So you've just finished a download, and now you have a cryptic ".zip" file sitting on your hard drive. You've heard of Zip and WinZip, but no one has ever explained it to you. What do you do now?

Answer: Zipping and Unzipping files is a file management technique that is quite easy to learn. Let's break it down into smaller parts:

Q1: What is a Zip File?
Ans: A Zip file is sometimes called an "archive" file. The Zip file itself is really just a container... it holds the real files inside it. The purpose behind the Zip file is transportation and storage. The Zip file acts like a ziploc sandwich bag - it holds contents inside for easy transporting and storage. This makes Zip files (and their counterpart Rar files) very valuable to file sharers and downloaders.

Q2: How Do Zip Files Work?
Ans: A Zip file achieves three things:

1. It bundles one or more files into a single container file.
2. It compresses (archives) its contents to be as much as 90% smaller size.
3. It can provide an optional password padlock on its contents.

Q3: Is 'Zip' the same as 'WinZip'?
Ans: Although many people confuse the two, they are technically different.

1. "Zip" is the generic file format of a compressed archive.
2. "WinZip", like "WinRAR" or "PKZip", is specialty software that creates and manages Zip files.

Next: How to Unzip Files With the Right Software...