How to unzip files: Mac, iPhone, Android, Windows

In our digital economy, data is more valuable than ever, but it is not always easy to share this data or information. With workspaces becoming increasingly digital, there is now even greater reliance on cloud services to store and transmit this data. One of the ways to share such information effortlessly is by zipping all your files and data.

When you ZIP your files, the data from those files or folders are compressed into a smaller, single storage unit. The idea is that a ZIP file will consume less storage than a traditional folder. By compressing your files and folders, you are also able to increase the efficiency of a cloud-based storage system and speed up the process of data exchange.

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If you have received files via services like WeTransfer then you already know that the downloaded file or folder is always saved as a ZIP file. However, a ZIP file cannot be accessed directly and you will need to unzip the ZIP file or document. Luckily, all the major platforms including Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android natively support the ability to unzip ZIP files. Here’s how to unzip a ZIP file or unzip a document on these platforms.

How to unzip a ZIP file on Windows

The process of unzipping a downloaded ZIP file or folder is rather straightforward on Windows. Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Right-click on the download ZIP file

Step 2: Select the Extract All option. This method uses the built-file extraction feature of Windows to open the ZIP file.

Step 3: Select an extraction location if necessary. The default location for extraction of your ZIP files will be the same folder where your ZIP file is located.

i. To change the location, click on Browse from the right-hand side of the text box

ii. Now, select a folder where you want to unzip your file or document

iii. Click on Select Folder in the bottom-right corner

Step 4: Click Extract from the bottom window to complete extracting the ZIP file’s contents

How to unzip a zip file on Mac

Since Mac also natively supports the ability to unzip a document, you can use the built-in tool to unzip a ZIP file. When you unzip a file, the contents are automatically extracted to the folder where the ZIP file is located. If you want to extract the content to a different folder, it is recommended to move the ZIP file before extracting its contents. Here’s how to unzip a document or file on Mac:

Step 1: Click on the ZIP file to select it

Step 2: Click Edit at the top of the Mac menu bar

Step 3: Click Copy from the drop-down menu

Step 4: Go to the folder where you want to extract the ZIP file

Step 5: Click Edit and then Select Paste Item in the drop-down menu

Step 6: Now, double-click the ZIP file to begin extracting the file into a regular folder in your current location

Step 7: Once the ZIP file is extracted, the newly created folder with the contents will open automatically to display the files.

How to unzip files on iOS

Like macOS, Apple’s iOS also comes with a built-in feature to unzip files or folders on iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Open the Files app on your iOS device. The Files app is a blue folder icon with a white background

Step 2: Navigate to the location of the ZIP file from the side menu bar. If you downloaded the ZIP file directly to your device then you can click on “On My iPhone/iPad” under the Locations option.

Step 3: Once you have located your ZIP file, simply tap on it to begin extracting its contents to a new folder in the same location

Step 4: Tap the new folder created to see the files extracted from the ZIP file. You can also rename this folder by tapping and holding down the folder.

How to unzip files on Android

Android has supported the native ability to unzip files and folders since 2017 and you can do it either using Files by Google app or the native file management tool provided by your smartphone maker. We will refer to Files by Google here but the steps will be similar for other file managers. Here’s how to unzip a ZIP file or folder on Android in five steps:

Step 1: Open Files by Google

Step 2: Navigate to the ZIP file you want to unzip. If you downloaded the ZIP file then it should be in the download folder of your device or click browse to scan other directories.

Step 3: Tap the ZIP file to preview its contents

Step 4: Click on Extract to unzip the file

Step 5: Click on Done to view the folder with the files extracted from the ZIP file in the same location as the ZIP file.

You should now be able to unzip a ZIP file or unzip a document easily when you are using a Windows, Mac, iPhone, or Android device. The above-mentioned steps allow for seamless extraction of ZIP file contents using the native support on these device platforms.