The top section controls what happens when you decompress archives. There are two sections to the window, with a horizontal rule dividing them. If you launch Archive Utility, then choose Archive Utility > Preferences, you see a small window with a number of options.Īrchive Utility preferences can be very useful if you work with compressed files often. However, if you need to create a lot of archives, you might want to launch the app, so you can drag files and folders onto its Dock icon and not have to bother with the contextual menu. Archive Utility opens, decompresses the archive, and then it quits. zip archive and want to expand it just double-click the archive. Archive Utility launches, compresses the item(s), and then it quits. If you want to compress a file, a folder, or a group of items, select it/them, then right click and choose Compress. In most cases, you’ll use Archive Utility without launching it directly. You can launch Screen Sharing by choosing Go > Connect to Server in the Finder. About this Mac launches when you click the Apple menu and choose About this Mac. All of these apps are generally launched in other ways, not by double-clicking. To access Archive Utility on your Mac, go to /System/Library/CoreServices/Applications. Here you’ll find Archive Utility along with some other apps that you may occasionally use, such as About this Mac, Network Utility and Screen Sharing. Where is the Archive Utility?Īrchive Utility is a small app hidden in a system folder. In this article, you’ll learn about compressed files and Archive Utility, and we’ll show you some options you can adjust that will make working with compressed files easier.

The Archive Utility app has some options that may make working with archives easier. (For instance, if you sent a hundred text files to someone by email without compressing them, it would be very annoying to receive that many attachments.)Īpple’s macOS uses Archive Utility, a small app hidden away in an obscure folder and used to create and decompress. Archives also allow you to store a number of files in a single file, making them easier to move around or send to others.

zip extension, and contain one or more files that have been shrunk to save space. You certainly see these files often-they bear the. Apple + How To Understanding Compressed Files and Apple’s Archive UtilityĬompressed files and archives are very common.

How to do a zip file on mac