Files that end with the extension “.zip” are archive files containing a collection of files in a compressed format. Compression can dramatically reduce the size of archived files. To access the files inside a zip file, it needs to be uncompressed, or “extracted.”
Both Windows and Macs have built-in zip file support. Commercial compression software such as WinZip (PC) and StuffIt (Mac) is also available; however, we recommend using the tools native to the operating system because they are easy to use and come at no cost.
Windows – Zip and unzip files