Uploading a folder full of files? A single archive is faster to upload than dozens of individual files — and it’s easier for the recipient too. Here’s how to compress files for sharing, and which format to use.
ZIP is built into every operating system. No extra software needed.
zip -r output.zip folder/Best for: documents, spreadsheets, mixed folders. Everyone can open ZIP files.
7-Zip (free, open-source) produces files 30-50% smaller than ZIP. Use when file size matters most.
Download 7-Zip from 7-zip.org. Choose "7z" format and "Ultra" compression level for smallest output.
Best for: large archives, backups, when every megabyte counts.
Combine files with tar, then compress with gzip: tar -czf output.tar.gz folder/
Common on Linux and macOS. Windows users need 7-Zip or similar to open.
Some files are already compressed — re-compressing won’t help:
If your archive exceeds 250MB, use 7-Zip’s "Split to volumes" feature. Split into 200MB chunks and upload each separately. Recipient opens any part to reconstruct the original.