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How to create and extract file archives on Windows 10

A file archive is a single file that contains one or more compressed files. File archives are useful for reducing the size of files, saving disk space, and transferring files over the internet. File archives can have different formats, such as ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZIP, etc. In this article, we will show you how to create and extract file archives on Windows 10 using built-in tools and third-party software.

Creating file archives using File Explorer

File Explorer is the default file manager on Windows 10. It allows you to create ZIP archives without installing any additional software. To create a ZIP archive using File Explorer, follow these steps:

1. Select the files or folders you want to compress.
2. Right-click on the selection and choose Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder.
3. A new ZIP file will be created in the same location as the original files. You can rename it or move it to another location.

Extracting file archives using File Explorer

File Explorer can also extract ZIP archives and some other formats, such as CAB and ISO. To extract a file archive using File Explorer, follow these steps:

1. Locate the file archive you want to extract.
2. Double-click on it to open it in File Explorer.
3. You can view the contents of the archive and drag and drop individual files or folders to another location.
4. If you want to extract all the files or folders in the archive, click on the Extract tab and choose Extract all.
5. A dialog box will appear where you can select the destination folder and optionally show the extracted files when complete.
6. Click on Extract to start the extraction process.

Creating and extracting file archives using third-party software

If you need to work with file archives that are not supported by File Explorer, such as RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZIP, etc., you will need to install a third-party software that can handle these formats. There are many free and paid options available, such as WinRAR, 7-Zip, PeaZip, etc. In this article, we will use 7-Zip as an example. To create and extract file archives using 7-Zip, follow these steps:

1. Download and install 7-Zip from https://www.7-zip.org/.
2. To create a file archive using 7-Zip, select the files or folders you want to compress.
3. Right-click on the selection and choose 7-Zip > Add to archive.
4. A dialog box will appear where you can choose the archive format, compression level, encryption options, and other settings.
5. Click on OK to create the archive.
6. To extract a file archive using 7-Zip, locate the file archive you want to extract.
7. Right-click on it and choose 7-Zip > Extract here, Extract to [archive name]\, or Extract files….
8. The first two options will extract the archive to the same location as the original file or to a new folder with the same name as the archive. The third option will let you choose the destination folder and other settings.
9. The extraction process will start and show a progress window.