Guide
How to create and open ZIP files on Android
Android has no single file manager — what you see on screen depends on who made the phone. Here is how it works in the two most common apps, and what to do if your phone does not have the feature at all.
How to create a ZIP file
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1
Open the file manager and go to the folder. Hold your finger on the first file until it is selected, then tap briefly on the others you want to include.
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2
In Files by Google you tap the three dots in the top right and choose «Compress». On Samsung the app is called «My Files», and the option sits under «More».
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3
The archive is saved in the same folder, usually named «Archive.zip». Hold your finger on it and choose «Rename» to call it something else.
How to open a ZIP file
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1
Tap the ZIP file in the file manager. If it is in «Downloads», you find it fastest under the tab with the same name.
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The app shows what is inside the archive, along with an «Extract» button. Tap it.
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3
The files land in a new folder with the same name as the archive. Files by Google finally asks whether you want to delete the ZIP file itself.
Not every phone has the feature
Android does not decide which file manager the manufacturer includes, and some of them can neither pack nor unpack. If you cannot find «Compress» or «Extract» anywhere, there is nothing wrong with you.
Files by Google is free, comes from Google itself, and has both. The alternative is to do the job in the browser — the tools here on Zipfile work in Chrome on Android without you installing anything.
The downloads folder is not where you think
An archive you download in Chrome ends up in the «Download» folder, which sits on its own and does not show up in the gallery or in the music app. Many people look for the file in the wrong place and think the download failed.
Open the file manager and go to «Downloads» — or search for the file name, which is fastest when you know what the archive is called.
No password protection in the standard apps
Neither Files by Google nor Samsung’s «My Files» can create password-protected archives, and they cannot open them either. If you are sent a locked archive, you need a separate app.
It is worth remembering when sending, too: a password-protected archive cannot be opened by Windows’ File Explorer either. If the recipient is to open it without extra software, an ordinary archive is the safe choice.
Or do it in the browser
The tools here on Zipfile work in Chrome on Android. Everything happens on your phone — no files are sent to a server, and you need no app.
Questions and answers
Which app should I use?
Files by Google covers what most people need, is free, and has no advertising inside the file handling itself. If your phone already has Samsung’s «My Files», it does the same job. You do not need a dedicated «zip app» unless you have to handle RAR or password-protected archives.
Can Android open RAR and 7z files?
Not with the standard apps. Files by Google handles ZIP, but not RAR or 7z. To open those you need a separate app — or ask the sender for a ZIP, which every platform can open without extra software.
Why is the archive the same size as the files?
Photos, video and music are already compressed, and will not pack much smaller. It is documents, text and spreadsheets that shrink. To save space on photos, it is the image size that has to come down — not the archive method.
Can I extract straight from Google Drive?
Usually the archive has to be downloaded to the phone first. Google Drive shows that the file exists, but extraction requires it to be local. Download it, and then open it from «Downloads» in the file manager.
The phone says «cannot open file»
Three common reasons: the download was interrupted and the archive is incomplete, the archive is password protected, or it is not a ZIP at all — RAR files often have the same icon. Try downloading it again first, and then check what the file name actually ends in.