---
tags:
  - macOS
  - Tahoe
  - archive
  - zip
  - compress
  - expand
title: Compressing and Extracting Files with Archive Utility on macOS Tahoe
---

# Compressing and Extracting Files with Archive Utility on macOS Tahoe

Archive Utility is the built-in tool on macOS for working with compressed archives, primarily in the ZIP format. While it lacks a dedicated interface, it seamlessly integrates into Finder, making archiving and unarchiving files simple.

## Compressing Files and Folders

To create a ZIP archive:

1.  **Select** the files and folders you want to compress in Finder.
2.  **Right-click** (or Control-click) on the selected items.
3.  Choose **Compress [number] items** from the context menu.

A new ZIP archive with the same name as the selected item (or the first selected item) will be created in the same location.

## Extracting Archives

To extract the contents of an archive:

1.  **Double-click** the ZIP archive.

Archive Utility will automatically extract the contents into a new folder in the same location as the archive. The new folder will have the same name as the archive (without the `.zip` extension).

## Supported Archive Formats

Archive Utility primarily supports the ZIP format, but it can also handle other formats, including:

*   **ZIP (.zip)**: Most common format.
*   **Gzip (.gz)**: Used for single-file compression (often used in conjunction with `.tar`).
*   **Bzip2 (.bz2)**: Another single-file compression format.
*   **Tar (.tar)**: Archive format (no compression).

## Alternative: ditto Command

For advanced users, the `ditto` command in Terminal provides more control over the archiving process, including preserving file metadata and permissions.
*   **Advanced**: Advanced Copying and Archiving with Ditto

## Related Guides
*   Master Guide to macOS Tahoe
*   Getting Started with Finder on macOS Tahoe