How to Compress Files (Zip) to Send by Email

Got multiple files to send? Compress them into one zip file to make sending by email quicker and easier.

In this guide (4 steps):

1.Understand what a zip file is
2.Create a zip file on Windows
3.Open (extract) a zip file someone sent you
4.Know the email size limits

Understand what a zip file is

~19s

A zip file is like a digital container that holds multiple files squeezed together into one smaller package. Instead of attaching five separate photos to an email, you can put them all into one zip file and send that single file. The files inside get compressed (made smaller), which also helps with email size limits.

Create a zip file on Windows

~39s

Open File Explorer (the yellow folder icon on your taskbar). Navigate to the files or folder you want to compress. To select multiple files, hold down the Ctrl key and click each file you want to include. Once your files are highlighted, right-click on any one of them. On Windows 11, choose "Compress to ZIP file." On Windows 10, choose "Send to" and then "Compressed (zipped) folder." A new zip file will appear in the same folder — you can rename it to something descriptive by right-clicking it and choosing "Rename."

Quick Tip

To select all files in a folder at once, press Ctrl+A. To select a range of files, click the first one, then hold Shift and click the last one.

Open (extract) a zip file someone sent you

~24s

If someone sends you a zip file by email or you download one, you can double-click it to see what is inside. To extract (unzip) the files so you can use them normally, right-click the zip file and choose "Extract All." Pick a location to save the files (your Desktop or Documents folder works well) and click "Extract." The individual files will appear in the location you chose.

Know the email size limits

~25s

Most email services (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) allow attachments up to 25 megabytes (MB). If your zip file is larger than that, you will need to use a file-sharing service instead. Google Drive and WeTransfer (wetransfer.com) are both free — upload your file there and send the recipient a link to download it.

Quick Tip

To check a file's size, right-click it in File Explorer and choose "Properties." The size is shown near the top of the window.

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windows

zip

compress

files

intermediate