How do I create a ZIP file online?

Drop your files or a folder, pick Normal or Maximum, then click "Create ZIP" and download the archive. Nothing is uploaded, and there is no sign-up.

Why is my ZIP not smaller than the original files?

Photos, videos, PDFs and ZIP files are already compressed, so Deflate finds little left to remove. ZIP still helps by bundling many files into one attachment.

Can I add a password to the ZIP?

No. The tool does not encrypt archives, so anyone who receives the file can open it. Share sensitive archives through a channel you trust.

How do I unzip a file with this tool?

Switch the mode to Extract, or open the ZIP extractor , which is locked to extraction and explains every option and error message.

Create ZIP Online, or Extract an Archive

Compress Files to ZIP Online. Client-Side

Create a ZIP from a few files or an entire folder, free and without an account, then download it as one archive ready to email or upload. The same tool also has an Extract mode, but if you came to open an archive, the dedicated ZIP extractor (unzip files online) page explains extraction step by step. Everything runs in Rust compiled to WebAssembly inside your browser tab, so no file is uploaded and the page keeps working offline once loaded.

How to create a ZIP

Drop files onto the drop zone, click to browse, or click "Choose a folder". Files and folders can be mixed.
Pick a compression level: Normal or Maximum.
Click "Create ZIP", then "Download ZIP". The archive is named after the shared top folder (project.zip), otherwise archive.zip.

Sub-folder structure is kept inside the archive, so whoever unzips it gets the same layout. Empty folders are not included and macOS .DS_Store files are skipped. If two files share a name in the same place, the second is renamed, for example a (1).txt, and a note tells you how many were renamed. Each selection can total up to 500 MB. If you mostly zip whole project or client folders, the zip a folder page covers that workflow in detail.

Normal or Maximum compression

ZIP uses the Deflate algorithm. Normal applies Deflate level 6, a good balance of speed and size. Maximum applies level 9, which searches harder for repeated data and gives a slightly smaller archive in exchange for a longer compression time. The gain depends on the content: text, CSV, JSON, source code and logs shrink a lot, while JPG photos, MP4 videos, PDFs and existing ZIP files are already compressed and barely shrink at any level. To make photos lighter, reduce them first with the image compressor, then bundle the result. ZIP is lossless either way.

What you get

One standard .zip — opens natively on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, no extra software for the recipient.
Deterministic output — every entry gets the same fixed timestamp, so the same files at the same level always produce a byte-identical ZIP. Handy when you publish a hash with the file checksum calculator.
Folder layout preserved — nested paths are stored as they were and restored on extraction.
Extract mode included — switch the mode to list an archive's contents, download single files, download everything again as a clean ZIP, or extract to a folder on Chrome and Edge.

Opening a ZIP instead

Switch the mode to Extract and drop a .zip. The tool lists every entry with its path and size before anything is written. Archives up to 100 MB, at most 10,000 files, 128 MB per file and 512 MB in total are accepted, which blocks zip bombs locally. Password-protected entries and rare compression methods (bzip2, zstd, lzma, deflate64) are flagged and skipped while the rest stays downloadable. Error messages, mobile use and file name encodings are covered on the extract ZIP online page.

Why zip in your browser?

Folders people zip often hold contracts, payslips, ID scans, medical records or client deliverables. Upload-based archivers keep those files on a server you do not control, sometimes for hours. Here, compression and extraction run inside the tab, which you can confirm in the DevTools Network panel or by going offline after the page loads.

FAQ

How do I create a ZIP file online?: Drop your files or a folder, pick Normal or Maximum, then click "Create ZIP" and download the archive. Nothing is uploaded, and there is no sign-up.
Why is my ZIP not smaller than the original files?: Photos, videos, PDFs and ZIP files are already compressed, so Deflate finds little left to remove. ZIP still helps by bundling many files into one attachment.
Can I add a password to the ZIP?: No. The tool does not encrypt archives, so anyone who receives the file can open it. Share sensitive archives through a channel you trust.
How do I unzip a file with this tool?: Switch the mode to Extract, or open the ZIP extractor, which is locked to extraction and explains every option and error message.

Create ZIP Files Online