How can I archive a file? How to archive documents. Archiving with the necessary settings

Sometimes you need to create an archive from a folder in order to send it via e-mail or in in social networks. Currently, there are many ways to archive folders and files: for each user and different needs. In this article you will learn how to archive files using the Windows system, using the WinRAR program, as well as using online services.

How to archive a file using Windows

In the operating room Windows system A utility is immediately provided that archives files and folders in ZIP format. From this you will not get a noticeable reduction in the volume of the folder, however, you will be able to get a full-fledged archive.

Find the folder or file you want to archive. Right-click on it and select “Send”.

Hover your cursor over this item and wait until a new drop-down window appears. In it you need the “Compressed ZIP folder” option.


Your archive will appear in the same directory. You can rename it as you wish.


As you can see in the example, almost no file compression occurs. This method will only help you create an archive.


How to archive a file using WinRAR

A special archiving program WinRAR allows you to create ZIP archives and RAR, configure their parameters and set passwords for the archive. Here you will find more fine tuning parameters.

  • Go to the official website, where you can download the utility for free http://www.win-rar.ru/download/
  • If you are satisfied English language program, then click on the operating system and bit depth you need in the top column.


  • If you prefer Russian in programs, then scroll the page a little lower and select the desired bit depth. You can view it in your computer's system settings.


  • Installing and downloading the program will take a few minutes. You need to accept license agreement and specify the installation directory.
  • After that, right-click on the folder you want to archive.
  • Several new items with an archive icon will appear in the drop-down menu. Select “Add to archive”.


  • Here you can immediately set a name for your file, a ZIP, RAR or RAR S format to choose from, and also set a password using the “Set password” button. With this protection, only people who know the password will be able to view the password.


  • In the second tab “Advanced” you can configure some more parameters: for example, set the computer to turn off after archiving is completed.


  • The “Files” tab contains the path to save your archive.
  • If you click “Append” you can enter your address.


  • And finally, in the “Times” tab, you can set the archiving date and time. In some situations this is a very important setting.
  • Now click “Ok” and wait for the archiving process to finish. If the folder was large enough, then the waiting time would be long.


How to archive a file online

If you don't really want to download special utilities for archiving folders and files, it will be much more convenient to use online services. As an example, you can use the site https://www.online-convert.com


Select the desired folder or group of files, click “Open”.


Now that all the files are uploaded, you can click “Convert File”. Archiving will begin immediately: do not close the tab or stop the process.


After this, the archive itself will begin saving to your computer; you just need to agree to the download and wait a little.

This method is quite convenient for one-time archives, but in the long run it becomes too long.


In this article I will tell you how to simply and effectively archive any of your files, Can archive music, archive photos or yours documentation and much more.

What we will consider:

  1. Archiving programs
  2. Installation and launch

Archiving a file is the process of converting information stored in a file into a form that reduces redundancy in its presentation and, accordingly, requires less memory for storage. In this case, it is possible to block access to information packed in the archive with a password.

Not all files are archived Fine. Media files have virtually no effect when archived. Text documents on the contrary, they shrink significantly.

1. Archiving programs

In fact, there are a lot of archiving programs, but today we will consider only the most popular programs, namely WinRar, and 7-zip.

Well, let’s directly look at how you can archive files using Windows.

  • WinRAR Paid program, there is a trial period for 40 days.
  • – Analogue of WinRar, absolutely free
  • 7-zip – Free program

2. Installation and launch

First you need to download the WinRar and 7-zip programs, and of course install them.

For example, I will choose more popular file formats, let's see which file will compress better.

To compress all the files that are in a folder, you need to select them, you can use Ctrl + A, right-click, it will open me - Add to archive.

To compress all the files that are in a folder, you need to select them, RMB and it will open me - there will be a program icon and Add to Archive...

7- zip

We open the program, it is located in the standard Start location - 7-zip, or in Windows 8 in all programs.

Archiving with the necessary settings

After you click “Add to archive”, the program itself will open in front of you with the name of the archive and additional settings.

Delete files after archiving - everything is clear here. You will only have the archive, and the original files will be deleted
Create SFX archive - creates a self-extracting archive with the .exe extension. A compact unpacker is added to this archive. To run or unzip, you do not need to have the archiver installed on your computer. Simply launch the archive and select the unpacking location. Convenient if you are not sure whether the archiver is installed on your partner’s computer.
Create solidarchive (Create a continuous archive) - allows you to get a higher compression ratio than with a regular archive - this is a +. In this case, the archived files are treated as one data stream. Disadvantages of continuous archives: when extracting one file or changing an archive, you will have to rebuild the entire archive and the process will take longer than when working with a regular archive. If any file in the archive turns out to be broken, it will not allow all the following files to be unpacked normally.

him files. In this case, it is recommended to add recovery information.
Add recovery record - if the archive turns out to be broken for some reason, you can use it to try to recover the information. When you select this option on the tab, you can additionally set the amount of information to be restored as a percentage. The more, the greater the chance of recovering the archive as a result of unexpected failures.
Test archived files (Test files after packaging) - if testing is successful, then you will most likely receive a working archive. The option goes well with deleting files after archiving, since the original files will be deleted only after the archive has been successfully verified.
Lock archive - the archive is locked for changing or adding any files to it
Compression method – from minimum to maximum.
Set password – Password for more secure data storage from prying eyes.

Let's set all the settings for maximum compression.

Before compression After

As you can see, the reduction by 1.2 MB was not impressive.

Let's try archive every file separately and see which one shrinks the most.

As you can see, the most effective compressed file was TEXT, 1.2 MB, PDF compressed by 3 KB, media files did not give a positive result.

After you click “Add to Archive...” the program itself will open in front of you with the name of the archive and additional settings.

Delete files after archiving
Test archived files (Test files after packaging)
Create solid archive (Only for 7Z)
Pot each file to separate archive
Turn PC off when done
Compress and E-mail
Create SFX archive
Tabs:
Password
File (Files to be compressed)
Algorithm (Compression algorithm)
Time
Comment

The compression process is similar WinRar, compressed by HaoZip 1 MB more than WinRar.

7- zip

In the program explorer, select the files to be archived, hold down SHIFT or CTRL and select the required files with LMB, then click “Add”.

Archive format 7z
Compression level: ultra
LZMA2 compression method
Dictionary size 64 MB
Word size: 273
Block size: continuous
Number of threads: 2
Entering your password
Possibility to create SFX archive
Encryption method

After packing all the files, the archive lost weight by 2 MB compared to programs WinRar And HaoZip.

Compression by meansWINDOWS.

Select the necessary files, RMB – Send – Compressed ZIP folder

A quick and convenient way to make an archive of documents.

Many people create an archive not for the sake of compressing files, but for the sake of conveniently transferring large amounts of data via email or Cloud service.

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When sending large files by email, you cannot always be sure that they will reach the recipient. This is due to restrictions on the size of downloaded and transmitted materials established on such web resources. How to solve this problem? As easy as pie. All you need to do is use the archiving function. Don't know how it doesn't work? Want to understand how to zip a file? In this case, use the detailed instructions.

Method number 1: Archive the file in zip using Windows

This data compression option can be used on computers different versions Windows OS, since the function of creating a ZIP folder is included in absolutely all packages operating systems from Microsoft.



Method number 2: Archive documents in zip format using special programs

If you need to compress voluminous materials to the maximum, it is better to use special archivers, for example, the WinRAR program.

This program is good because in addition to fast and high-quality compression of files in various formats (zip, rar), access to it is absolutely free. To do this, it is enough to visit the official website of the developer.



In addition, it is possible to select additional archiving options:

  • archive to background;
  • turn off the PC after completing the operation;
  • wait if another document is being archived;
  • exclude separate files from archiving (if a folder with several documents is being archived);
  • create backup copy;
  • select the time detection function;
  • add a comment to the archive.

To do this, you need to select the tabs “Advanced”, “File”, “Time”, “Comment” and others. In any case, after making the settings, do not forget to click the “OK” button so that the file compression process begins:

As you can see, archiving a file in zip format is quite simple!

Hi all! In this article I will show you how to archive a folder with files as efficiently and correctly as possible!

Sometimes you need to transfer files over the Internet to social networks(for example, Vkontakte) or send by email, but the files are too large, and in this case archiver programs come to the rescue.

How to compress a folder with files

The most popular compression programs are WinRar and 7-zip. Like many people, I use WinRar, but if after compressing this program the folder size does not satisfy you, then try compressing it with 7-zip.

On the official websites, you can download them. WinRar is an archiver with a trial period, and 7-zip is a free archiver.

After downloading and installation, if you click on any folder, additional menu items will appear. And in order to archive a folder with files, right-click on the required folder (I will compress the folder with photos).

Now the window with parameters.

  1. First, select the archive format. The rar format is best compressed, while zip is sometimes necessary on the Internet. If you don’t have any requirements, then compress it into rar.
  2. Next, set the compression method to maximum.
  3. Sometimes it is necessary to divide an archive into several parts, so that each archive occupies a certain place. If you need to divide it into volumes by size, set the required size.
  4. And yet, you can set a password for the archive.

Basically nothing else is needed. Click OK.

After compression, look at the difference:

Folder before compression:

And the compressed archive:

The savings in our case are 5 megabytes. But depending on the files, the compression size may vary. For example, the best compression is achieved in text files or pdf. And again, if more compression is needed, you need to use the 7-ZIP archiver and select the ultra compression method in 7z format.

Sooner or later, almost every computer user is faced with the need to archive files or extract data from an archive. It is likely that you can easily do without archiving, without knowing anything about it or using it. A logical question arises: then why is file archiving needed? Let's say you are going to send a large number of files, such as photographs, to someone over the Internet. You can add them one at a time or several at a time, but it’s easy to get confused and will take a lot of time. And here archive photos It will be much easier and more convenient, not only for you, but also for the recipient. This is just one example; the ability to work with archiving programs can be useful in other situations. Now let's look directly at how to archive files.

How to archive a file, folder and other documents?

For this we need an archiver. Personally, I recommend you the program, since it is completely free, unlike some others, and easy to use. You can download it by clicking on the following link - http://7-zip.org.ua/ru

So, downloaded, installed, it's time to find out how to archive files.
We select the files that we want to archive. Call the context menu by right-clicking on them. We look for the 7-Zip program, select the “Add to archive” option.

In the window that appears, you can set archiving settings.

We will not touch most of the settings; they are set as expected by default. We are interested in the following points:

  1. Archive - you can enter the name that the archive will have;
  2. Archive format - I advise you to just select 7z and not bother;
  3. Compression level - choose here depending on the ones you are compressing and their size. For example, if your goal is archive video or other large files, to reduce their size and free up some space on your computer, select Maximum or Ultra. If you just need archive photos to send over the Internet, it is better to choose Fast, High-Speed ​​or No compression at all, if there are not many photos and the total size is not large.

This completes the settings in this window; it is better not to change the remaining parameters. The only thing is that you can also set a password for the archive if you are very concerned about the confidentiality of the data you send or simply want to protect any important documents on your computer.

To do this, simply enter your password and repeat it. To avoid confusion and mistakes, you can click Show password - then the characters you enter will be displayed, and not asterisks instead. Just keep in mind that although you won’t be able to open or extract files from the archive without a password, the contents of the archive are still displayed. So an outsider will be able to see the type and name of the files in the archive.

So, we have set the settings, click OK. After some time, depending on the size of the files, the archive is ready.

If you are interested, how to archive a folder, then everything is exactly the same here, only at the very beginning we right-click on the desired folder. Now let’s consider the reverse process, that is.

Extracting the archive.

Since we have several files in the archive, we first create a folder for them by right-clicking on a free area.

This way we can carefully extract the files into one place, otherwise they may be scattered and out of order.

Now open the archive and select all or only individual files and click the Extract button at the top of the panel.

In the window that appears, you can select where the files will be extracted. To do this, click the button to select the path, then select the folder. As you can see, you can create an empty folder immediately before extracting files, if you forgot to do this earlier. Confirm your selection, then click OK again.

If you set a password for the archive, a window for entering it will now appear.

As already mentioned, without entering a password, you can see the names, type and size of files in the archive, but you will not be able to open them or extract them without a password. We write the password and click OK, if it exists, and if not, then the files have already been extracted and are in the folder.

How to check whether the archive is intact and whether the files are damaged.

Besides knowledge, how to archive a file, It wouldn’t hurt to be able to check it for integrity. This is quite simple to do: open the archive and click the Test button on the panel at the top.

After testing, a window with the result will appear.

Why and when do you need to test the archive?

  • Firstly, if some kind of failure occurred or the system froze while adding files to the archive. This way you can find out whether archiving was successful or whether it will have to be done again.
  • Testing will also be useful if you want archive documents and ensure their safety.
  • Or if you are archiving large file To free up disk space, it is better to make sure that the archiving was successful before deleting the source file. And if an error is found, simply pack the files into a new archive and delete the old one.

How can I view archive information?

And finally, let's look at how to find out full information about the archive. To do this, click the Information button on the program panel.

After this, a window will immediately appear with all the information on the archive that may interest you.

Here, in fact, are all the functions of the program that may be useful to you. Now you know how to archive a file , how to archive a folder and how to extract files from the archive. All that remains is to advise you to experiment a little with compression levels depending on the type and size of the file and determine which compression level is most optimal for your purposes. By the way, as you may have noticed at the beginning of the lesson, access to some archiver functions can also be obtained from the context menu.

From here you can add files to the new archive instantly, the default settings will be used, and the archive will appear in the same folder as the files you are adding.

I hope the lesson is about how to archive files was very informative for you and the knowledge gained will still be useful to you in working with a computer. The main thing is not to stop there, because often ignorance of some little detail significantly complicates the work and requires additional time and action. Thank you for your attention!