Understanding Compressed Files and Apple’s Archive Utility

Compressed files and archives are very common. You certainly see these files often–they bear the .zip extension, and contain one or more files that have been shrunk to save space. Archives also allow you to store a number of files in a single file, making them easier to move around or send to others. (For instance, if you sent a hundred text files to someone by email without compressing them, it would be very annoying to receive that many attachments.)

Apple’s macOS uses Archive Utility, a small app hidden away in an obscure folder and used to create and decompress .zip files. The Archive Utility app has some options that may make working with archives easier. In this article, you’ll learn about compressed files and Archive Utility, and we’ll show you some options you can adjust that will make working with compressed files easier.

Read the rest of the article on The Mac Security Blog.