ZIP

2 free ways to password-protect a ZIP file on Mac

Password protect ZIP file on your Mac

You can compress and bundle several files and folders in a single ZIP file. If you have multiple files you want to send securely for business, financial, or other reasons, you can protect the ZIP file with a password.

Password protection on a ZIP file works irrespective of the operating system on which it’s tried to be opened. So, when you send the password-protected ZIP file created on your Mac to someone using iOS, Android, or Windows, it will still need the right password to unzip and show the contents.

In this tutorial, we show you two free ways to add password protection to ZIP files and lock it.

How to quickly zip and unzip files and folders on Mac

Unzip Archive File on Mac

Compressing files into a ZIP folder is a great way to reduce their size and make them easier to share via email or other means. Additionally, there may be instances where you need to zip entire folders to save space on your computer.

Fortunately, your Mac comes with a built-in tool that allows you to do just that, and can also be used to unzip files and folders that you receive. In this article, we'll guide you through the process of quickly zipping and unzipping files and folders on your Mac without using a third-party application.

How to zip and unzip files on iPhone or iPad

Open ZIP file on iPhone

Starting with iOS 13, the built-in Files app on iPhone and iPad got the native support to zip (compress) and unzip (uncompress) files. As a result, you no longer need third-party apps to open ZIP files received by email, WhatsApp, Google Drive, iMessage, AirDrop, etc. Here is how you can easily create or extract ZIP files on iPhone and iPad running any recent version of iOS, including iOS 15.

How to open ZIP files on iPhone using the Notes app

Although neither Apple's Safari nor Google's Chrome browser can extract files from ZIP archives on iOS, it has been discovered that Apple's Notes app lets users view the contents of ZIP files by taking advantage of iOS's built-in file attachment viewers.

Starting with iOS 9, Notes has received several new features, among them support for adding content to a new or existing note through iOS's multi-purpose Share menu in apps like Safari, Maps, Pages and more.

As it turns out, you can also use iOS's Share menu in conjunction with the “Open In” feature to add a downloaded ZIP file to a note on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

WhatsApp testing ZIP chat export feature, Facebook to gain ‘post via WhatsApp’ button

Facebook-owned WhatsApp is about to integrate more tightly with the social networking firm's mobile client, as discovered Monday by German blog Macerkopf.de.

Facebook is testing the forthcoming version 2.12.17.689 update to WhatsApp for iOS which will permit users to export their chat archive as a ZIP file.

Currently, WhatsApp lets you back up and restore chat history via iCloud, so the addition of ZIP chat exporting will make it easier for users to download their instant messages to a computer.

In addition, Facebook is also testing a new WhatsApp integration in its mobile application for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.