File Extension

ZIP File Format

Zip file Compressed archive

 

.ZIP is a very common compressed archive file format used in many archival tools.  A ZIP archive may contain one or more files and archives may span multiple files, often used to break up the archive to store on media smaller than the archive.

PKWARE introduced the ZIP format in 1989 as an open standard. In 2003, PKWARE  placed a non-standard encryption routine into their PKZip product. Today the original .ZIP is a cross-platform compression tool integrated into Macintosh and Windows operating systems where the files can be clicked and opened as folders and files can be right-clicked and made into a .ZIP archive. 

MIME type: application/zip, application/x-compressed, application/x-zip-compressed, multipart/x-zip

 

Learn more about .ZIP files:

Visit the PKWARE webpage.

Search for answers to .ZIP-related questions at ITKnowledgeExchange.com.

This was last updated in July 2010
Editorial Director Margaret Rouse
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Definitions

  • PKZIP (or PKZip)

    - PKZIP (also capitalized as PKZip) is a program, originally written for the DOS operating system, that gathers multiple files into a single compressed file that can be stored in less space and trans...

  • gzip (GNU zip)

    - Gzip (GNU zip) is a free and open source algorithm for file compression. The software is overseen by the GNU project.... (Continued)

  • zipping

    - Zipping is the act of packaging a set of files into a single file or archive that is called a zip file.

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