Unzipping files on a mac

Archiving and compressing stuff is an essential part of working productively with your computer. Whether you need to back up files or just compress some big documents that you want to send over email, you'll certainly need an archiving application. The zip archive format is one of the most popular, so let's figure out how to unzip a *.zip file on a Mac if, say, a friend sent you one via email.

Unzipping

Mac OS X has support for archiving and unarchiving built right into the Finder. So, all you need to do to unzip a file is double-click on it. The system will unpack the archive right in the same folder where the archive is located or to wherever you have downloaded it. Note that by convenient default, the system will put all unarchived files into a folder named the same thing as your archive. For instance, if the archive's name was "a_test_archive.zip," Mac OS X will put all of its contents into  the "a_test_archive" folder.

Some users might need more options with their archives when decompressing them. If you are one of those users, just control-click a *.zip file to see your options with unarchiving.

Compressing and uncompressing archives in Mac OS X is handled by the Archive Utility, which will automatically appear in the Dock as you click on archived files. This utility is not listed in the Mac OS "Applications" folder, although it can be accessed through the Finder. Just go to  Macintosh HD-->System-->Library--> CoreServices folder, and click on "Archive Utility».

If you want even more control over your archives on a Mac, install one of the following apps:

●      StuffIt Deluxe

●      The Unarchiver

Zipping files

You may also need to zip some files. To do that, just select a group of files that you want to archive. Then, right-click on them and select "Compress" from the context menu. This will launch the Archive Utility, which will do all of the rest. Note that if an archive contains multiple files, the Archive Utility will call it "Archive.zip" so you may need to change the archive's name.

Older systems

A built-in support arrived in Mac OS X in 2004 with the release named "Panther." So, if your Mac OS X is older than Panther, you may need to install and use one of the following applications:

●      Stuffit Expander — an archive manager that used to be distributed along with Mac OS X.

●      jZip — an archiving and unarchiving utility for Macs and PCs

●      MacZip - just another solution to work with *.zip archives on a Mac