Want to share a mountain of files and folders without running the risk of forgetting one? Looking to archive documents in a manner that will save space and let you restore them reliably? Find out here how to create a ZIP file in Windows ⤓ using File Explorer or the command line (PowerShell and command prompt).
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How to Create ZIP (and TGZ) Files in Windows 10 and Windows 11
⚡ Quick Fix
Select the files and folders in Explorer, then right-click the selection and choose Compress to ZIP file (Windows 11) or Send to | Compressed (zipped) folder (Windows 10). Type a file name and press Enter.
Using Windows File Explorer
Time needed: 2 minutes
To create a ZIP file that contains one or more files or folders in Windows using File Explorer:
- Open File Explorer in Windows.
Here’s how: Open the Start menu, for example, search for
file explorerand choose it under Apps or Best match.
Windows keyboard shortcut: Press Windows E to open Explorer with a key combination. - Go to the folder that contains the files you want to compress into a ZIP file.
Here’s how: You can use the sidebar to navigate or type the directory path in the location bar (type Ctrl L to focus that bar).
- Highlight the files and folders you want to include in the ZIP file.
Here’s how: Use the mouse to draw an outline or click individual files to select them.
Add and remove: Hold down Ctrl while you click to add a folder to the selection or remove it from the selection.
“I want it all”: Press Ctrl A to select all files and folders in the current directory. - Click one of the highlighted files or folder with the right mouse button.
Which to pick: Click on the one you’d like to use as the file name for the archive; see below.
- Select Compress to ZIP file from the context menu that has appeared.
More options: Choose ZIP file from Compress to… if Windows gives you more options; you can also choose the other compression methods, of course.
No “Compress to…”: If you do not see a Compress to menu item, select Send to | Compressed (zipped) folder from the context menu instead; this is true for Windows 10, for example, and when you select Show more options in the condensed menu.
- Confirm or change the file name for the archive and press Enter.
Default: Windows will choose the name of the file or folder on which you right-clicked as the default (with a ZIP file extension).
Their word: Microsoft include information on zipping and unzipping in Windows help.
All done in a zip?
Tips help fuel these email and tech how-tos.
Using a Command Prompt (PowerShell)
To compress files into a ZIP file using PowerShell on Windows:
- Open PowerShell.
Here’s how: Open the Start menu, start typingPowerShellto search and select the PowerShell app. - Change to the folder that contains the files (and possibly folders) you want to zip up.
Here’s how: Typecdfollowed by the path to the directory, then press Enter; you can use~(tilde) to stand in for your user directory.
Example: Usecd ~/Downloads, for instance, to go to your Downloads folder.
Dragging and dropping: You can typecd, then drag and drop a folder from File Explorer. - Type
Compress-Archive -Path * -DestinationPath <filename.zip>.
“Path”: Using the -Path parameter, specify which folders you want to include;*selects all files and folders in the current directory,*.*only the files in the current folder.
“DestinationPath”: Replace <filename.zip> with the name you want to use for the ZIP file.
Example: TypeCompress-Archive -Path * -DestinationPath ladedu.zipto compress the current directory and all sub-folders (including the files in them) to a file called ladedu.zip.
More control: You can specify individual files to include with Compress-Archive using a variable. - Press Enter.
Create a TGZ File Archive Using the Windows Command Prompt
To archive files and folders to a Gzip-compressed (TGZ or TAR.GZ) file using the Windows command prompt:
- Open Command Prompt.
Here’s how: Search for and open Command Prompt in the Start menu. - Go to the folder that contains the files or folders you want to collect in the TGZ archive. (See above.)
- Type
tar -czf <filename.tgz> <files to compress>.
Here’s why: The-coption has tar create a new archive,-fis followed by the desired name of the output file and-zapplies Gzip compression to the resulting file.
Example: Usetar -czf ladedu.tgz *to compress all files and folders (including their files) to a file named ladedu.tgz. - Now press Enter.
How to Create ZIP (and TGZ) Files in Windows 10 and Windows 11: FAQ
Can Windows File Explorer open TGZ files?
Yes.
Current versions of Windows 11 will treat TGZ files just like ZIP files. You can double-click them to open them as a virtual folder or extract their contents using the context menu.
What are the other compression options in “tar”?
In addition to -z for GZIP, tar offers these compression algorithms on Windows:
-j | bzip2 - uses the compression used in bzip2 - typically better compression than GZIP but slower |
-J | XZ - uses XZ compression from XZ utilities - usually results in the highest compression rate and smallest files |
--lzma | LZMA - uses LZMA compression from XZ utilities - similar to XZ, but in general superseded by the latter |
Windows File Explorer can open Gzip, bzip2 and XZ files. You can also extract from the compressed archives using tar on the command line, of course, with the following commands:
tar -xzf <archive file.tgz>
tar -xjf <archive file.tar.bz>
tar -xJf <archive file.tar.xz>
tar --lzma -xf <archive file.tar.lzma>(Tested with Windows 11 Version 23H2–25H2; first published September 2024, last updated July 2026)