Unzipping is the act of extracting the files from a zipped single file or similar file archive. If the files in the package were also compressed -- as they usually are -- unzipping decompresses them.
When users download programs from shareware or freeware companies on the web, it is highly likely that you get a zip file (the file name has a suffix of ".zip"). These are also known as compressed files.
They can decompress the file in the following ways:
There are several popular apps and tools that exist for zipping and unzipping: PKZIP in the Disk Operating System (DOS), WinZip or 7-Zip for Windows, MacZip for macOS and Files in Android. Users can also extract files by dragging them out of the zipped folder.
A zipped folder can be created in any operating system, such as Microsoft Windows or Mac.
A zip file takes less storage space than an unzipped file. This makes it easier for the file to be stored and transferred between different systems.
Further, as the zip file is smaller in size, it can be easily downloaded. This reduces the chance of the file being corrupted. Sometimes, users rely on a zip file to encrypt the data.
See also: Lossless and lossy compression, image compression, LZW compression, data reduction and data deduplication.
09 Feb 2022