Zipping files and folders on your Mac comes in handy when you are running low on storage space or when you need to email a heavy attachment. To ensure the safety of private files, it is recommended you zip the files with an added layer of security. Adding a password to your zipped files is fairly easy and doesn’t take much time. In this article, we bring you two ways to create a password-protected zip file or folder on a Mac.
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Table of Contents
Here’s how you can zip a file or folder on a Mac
Step 1: Go to the file or folder you want to zip. Ideally, if you want to zip multiple files, you should place them in one folder.
Step 2: Right-click on the file or folder and select ‘Compress (file/folder name)’.
Step 3: Your Mac will take anywhere between a few seconds to minutes to compress the file or folder, depending upon its size.
Once the file or folder is compressed you can view its info to check its reduced size.
Create a password-protected zip file or folder on Mac using Terminal
Step 1: Launch Terminal on your Mac.
Step 2: Set the directory to the location of the file or folder. We recommend moving the folder to the desktop since it’s easier. To change the directory to desktop, type the following command and hit Enter.
cd Desktop/
Step 3: Now, enter the following command to zip the file. Replace ‘desired file name’ and ‘original file name’ with the relevant names of the file. Suffix the ‘existing file name’ with the extension format of the file (like .txt, .pdf, or .doc).
zip -e ‘desired file name’.zip ‘existing file name’.currentextension
For example, if you want to zip a text file named ‘contacts’, this is what your command line should look like: zip -e contact.zip contact.txt
Make sure the file name does not have any spaces in it. If you want to keep the spaces in the file name, add a slash (/) before every space.
Step 4: If you’re zipping a folder, use -er instead of -e and ditch the extension format for the folder.
Step 5: You will now be prompted to set a password for the compressed file or folder. Enter the password twice to verify it.
Your password-protected file or folder will be created on your Mac.
Create a password-protected zip file on Mac using Archiver
Step 1: Install Archiver on your device from the Mac App Store.
Step 2: Drag the file or folder you want to zip and drop it in the Archiver app.
Step 3: Click on ‘Archive’ and select the compression format.
Step 4: Click the check box for ‘Encrypt’.
Step 5: Enter your desired password and verify it.
Step 6: Click on ‘Archive’.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I create a zip file on Mac?
Creating a zip file on a Mac is pretty easy. All you need to do is right-click on the file and select ‘Compress filename’.
How do I create a password-protected zip file on Mac?
You can create a password-protected zip file on Mac by using Terminal or a third-party app like Archiver.
How do I open a zipped file on Mac?
To open a zipped file on Mac, simply double-click it. This will unzip the file and reveal its contents.
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Conclusion
This is how you can easily create a password-protected zip file on a Mac. Using Terminal can be a tedious task and you may get it wrong if you are using it for the first time. We would suggest using Archiver or any other third-party tool to create a password-protected zip file or folder on your Mac.
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