How to Condense a Large File on a Mac
Successful businesses rely on communication, and modern communication often relies on the transfer of digital data. When a file is too large, however, it often becomes difficult to send via email or share online. Apple's OS X operating system for Mac computers includes an inconspicuous app called the Archive Utility, which condenses -- or compresses, in tech terms -- files into the ZIP format, a compact, easily share-able format with a smaller file size.
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Select one or more items on your Mac that you'd like to compress. To select more than one item, hold the “Command” key and click on each item you'd like to select. You'll know you've selected a file when it is highlighted.
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Hold “Control” on your keyboard, and click the selected item or items to launch the shortcut menu.
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Choose “Compress [name of file]” from the shortcut menu. This creates a condensed ZIP version of the file in question. If you compress more than one item, the Archive Utility creates a compressed fie called “Archive.zip.”
References
Tips
- To open a compressed ZIP file on your Mac, simply double-click it. The Archive Utility automatically opens compressed files, including those in the ZIP, BZ, GZ and TAR format.
- If you've enabled right-clicking on your Mac, you can also right-click the selected file or files to launch the shortcut menu. Alternatively, you can compress selected files from any Finder window's “File” or “Action” menu.
Warnings
- Compressing a very large file, such as a multi-gigabyte file, may take several minutes.
Writer Bio
Dan Ketchum has been a professional writer since 2003, with work appearing online and offline in Word Riot, Bazooka Magazine, Anemone Sidecar, Trails and more. Dan's diverse professional background spans from costume design and screenwriting to mixology, manual labor and video game industry publicity.