
Follow the step-by-step instructions below to easily zip files on a mac: Right-click or Ctrl-click the multiple files you want to compress (whether on the desktop or inside the Finder). Select Compress Filename from the pop-up menu. The files are now compressed in a.zip extension and the archive is created in the same location as the original. Luckily, there are multiple ways to add support for the aforementioned file formats to your Mac. Open ZIP, RAR, TAR, BIN, And EXE On Mac With The Unarchiver If you’re looking for a single app or utility that can handle all of the file formats mentioned above, The Unarchiver is the one that can do it all.
WinZip® makes it easy to create Zip files (.zip or .zipx) that are split into smaller pieces of a size that you specify. There are several reasons why you might want to do this, such as:
- To assist with large downloads. Some users may have difficulty downloading very large Zip files from web sites, FTP sites, etc. You can use the split Zip feature to break large files into smaller pieces that can be downloaded separately.
- To overcome email size limits, as an alternative to sharing the Zip file to the cloud. Some email systems limit the size of attachments. If you want to email a large Zip file that exceeds your limit, sharing is usually the easiest solution, but, if that is not an option, you can also split the Zip file into smaller parts and email them separately.
To split an existing Zip file into smaller pieces
If you have an existing Zip file that you want to split into multiple pieces, WinZip gives you the ability to do that.
Using the WinZip Ribbon interface
- Open the Zip file.
- Open the Settings tab.
- Click the Split dropdown box and select the appropriate size for each of the parts of the split Zip file. If you choose Custom Size in the Split dropdown list, the Custom Size (MB) field will become active and allow you to enter in a custom size specified in megabytes.
- Open the Tools tab and click Multi-Part Zip File.
- In the Split window, browse to the location where you want to create the new split Zip file.
- Type in the file name for the new split Zip file in the File name box.
- Click OK.
- WinZip will create your split Zip file using the size you specified in step 3 as the maximum size for each part. The result will be one file with a .zip or .zipx extension, and additional files with numeric extensions: .z01 or .zx01, .z02 or .zx02, etc.
To create a new split Zip file
You can create a new split Zip file with the WinZip submenu of the context menu.
- Open WinZip and follow steps 2 and 3 above (unless you know the size is set as you want it already).
- Highlight the file(s) and/or folder(s) you want to use to create a split Zip file in Windows Explorer or on the Desktop.
- Right click in the highlighted area and choose Create a Split Zip File from the WinZip submenu of the context menu.
- In the window that opens, change the file name and the destination if you wish, and choose other options, then click Create.
Notes
- Each of the segments of the split Zip file will have a different extension. WinZip creates files with names like Data.z01 or Data.zx01, Data.z02 or Data.zx02, and so on, except for the very last segment of the new Zip file. The last segment will always have either the .zip or .zipx extension, respectively, based on the compression method used when creating the Zip file (e.g., Data.zip, Documents.zipx).
- To open the split Zip file, open the file with the .zip or .zipx extension. Don't try to open any of the files with the numbered extensions; WinZip won't recognize them as Zip files.
- Once the split Zip file has been opened, you can work with it much as you would work with a regular Zip file, except you can't add any new files or remove existing files. Some operations such as creating self-extracting Zip files and editing comments are also disabled for split Zip files.
- The sizes listed as 1.2MB, 1.44MB, and 2.88MB are approximate. The segments of the split Zip file are sized appropriately to fit on media of the specified size. You cannot, however, use decimal points when specifying sizes in the Other size field.
- The split Zip file format is an extension of the Zip 2.0 specification. Therefore, some Zip utility programs may not be able to open split Zip files. Please see Split Zip file compatibility information for more details.
7-Zip is free software to pack and unpack 7z or other zipped archives, also it builds in some useful features to work on packages. While, to open a 7z file on Mac, a tool that works equivalently to 7-Zip is needed. Is 7-Zip available for Mac version and are there any good 7-Zip alternatives on Mac? You will find the answers in this article.
Is 7-Zip Available for Mac?
No!
As you may have visited the official website of 7-Zip, this program can work on Windows 10/8/7/ Vista / XP / 2016 / 2012 / 2008 / 2003 / 2000 / NT. Also, there is a version designed for Linux, Ubuntu and other systems---the p7zip. But unfortunately, there is no Mac version of 7-Zip.
So, if there is any saying about 7-Zip for Mac, it is not true. But it is true that there are so many alternatives to 7-Zip on Mac that can work as outstandingly as 7-Zip.
5 Best 7-Zip Alternatives for Mac
#1. Cisdem Unarchiver---The Best 7-Zip Alternative Mac
If you are looking for a full-featured 7-Zip alternative, Cisdem Unarchiver is a good option. Cisdem Unarchiver is the Mac Unarchiver and archiver to batch compress files, preview the contents inside archives and unzip (entirely or partially) archive files on Mac. It has an excellent support on packing and unpacking formats.
Why BettterUnarchiver is the Best 7-Zip Alternative?
- Unarchive Zip, 7z, Rar, ISO, Tar, Cab, Wim, XZ, CHM, Com, Hfs, Nsis, Udf
- Archive to Zip, 7z and Tar
- Preview contents before unzip
- Extract from encrypted archives
- Encrypt zipped files
- Entirely or partially unzip files
- Batch zip or unzip files
How to Use Cisdem Unarchiver for Mac?
Step 1Download and install Cisdem Unarchiver on your Mac
Step 2Import archives for unzipping on mac
Click Add button to import files for unzipping, then click “Extract” to save files from the archives to preferred location.
Step 3Compress files to archives
To compress files to archives, click on iPack and add files, then click “Compress” to zip selected files into archives.
#2. The Unarchiver
The Unarchiver is a free utility to extract files from archives, but is able to unzip files only. This program is probably the one supporting the most archive formats, it support 14 popular archive formats, 19 old formats and other 10 unusual formats. Also, you cannot preview the contents in the archives before extraction.
Main Features of The Unarchiver
- Supports Zip, Tar-GZip, Tar-BZip2, RAR, 7z, LhA, StuffIt, EXE, ISO and total 40+ archive formats
- Open certain archives with the program by default
- Customize extraction: the location, create new folder or not, set modified date, move the archive to trash after extraction
Pros
- Set as defaulted viewer to open and extract files from archives
- Support 40+ archive formats
Cons
- No GUI
- Extract files from archives only
- Cannot preview files on archives
- No extended features
#3. Keka
Keka is a free archive utility to zip and unzip files into different formats. It is extremely easy to use, you just need to drag and drop files or archives to the program for packing or unpacking. Even, you can split the archive into several fixed-capacity archives for easy sharing. When the zipping or unzipping finish, you will get a notification from Keka.
Main Features of Keka
- Archive files to 7z, ZIP, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, XZ, LZIP, DMG, ISO
- Extract files from 7z, ZIP, TAR, RAR and total 24 archives
- Split archives
- Drag & Drop to extract or create archives
Pros
- Easy to use
- Support extract files from 24 archive formats
- Add password to created archives
Cons
- No GUI
- Cannot preview contents in archives
- No extended features
- Large installer size
7-Zip VS Keka VS Unarchiver
For the reason that many users are taking much interest into Keka and The Unarchiver when looking for a good 7-Zip alternative on mac, here we have a brief comparison on these 3 archive utilities.
| Support Archive | Support Unarchive | Extended Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7-Zip | Yes (7 formats) | Yes (31 formats) | Encrypt, manage file, support 87 languages |
| Keka | Yes (9 formats) | Yes (24 formats) | Encrypt, split |
| The Unarchiver | No | Yes (40 formats) | None |
#4. Winzip 7 mac
Winzip 7 for mac is a rich-featured utility to zip and unzip files on mac. Though it doesn’t support as many archive formats as other 7-zip alternatives, it offers multiple functions to manage and customize archives. You can encrypt, resize photos, convert photos, add watermark, send archives via email and share anywhere.
Main Features of Winzip 7 Mac
- Unarchive files like Zip, Zipx, RAR, LHA, 7Z, JAR, WAR and 12 formats
- Archive files into Zip or LHA
- Encrypt files
- Offer basic editing features: resize and convert photos, add watermark
- Send files via email or share anywhere (iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, ZipShare, etc.)
Pros
- Both zip and unzip files
- Preview contents in zipped files
- Allow to edit and customize zipped files
- Encrypt files
- Easily share anywhere
Cons
- High price
- Relatively large installer size
#5. iZip for Mac
iZip is another utility to zip and unzip several archive formats, including Zip, Zipx, RAR, TAR, TAR.GZ and 7Zip. It is extremely easy to use, you just need to drag and drop the archives to the program, then a folder with unzipped files will be created.
Main Features of iZip for Mac
1. Unarchive documents in Zip, Zipx, RAR, TAR, TAR.GZ and 7Zip
2. Zip files into Zipx archive
3. Compress and encrypt archives
Pros
- Easy to use
- Batch support
Cons
- Limited input and output formats
- Limited features
Extended: What is 7z Format?
7z is the new archive format, providing high compression ratio. 7z has open architecture, so it can support any new compression methods.
The main features of 7z format:
- Open architecture
- High compression ratio
- Strong AES-256 encryption
- Ability of using any compression, conversion or encryption method
- Supporting files with sizes up to 16000000000 GB
- Unicode file names
- Solid compressing
- Archive headers compressing
Conclusion
Batch Compress Multiple Folders Into Individual Zip Files
Though there is no 7-Zip for mac version, the above-listed 5 7-Zip alternative on mac all are good choices to open a 7Zip or other zipped files on mac. If you are looking for a tool with extended features to work on different archives, Cisdem Unarchiver is worth a try.