Compress files
Compression works by spotting repetition, which is why documents and code shrink dramatically while photos and video barely move. Pick ZIP if you are sending it to anyone at all, or TAR.GZ if the person on the other end is on Linux or a Mac.
How to use it
- 1 Add the files you want to compress.
- 2 Choose an archive format.
- 3 Set how hard to compress: higher for smaller files, lower for speed.
- 4 Compress and download the archive.
Questions about compress files
ZIP or TAR.GZ?
ZIP opens natively on Windows, macOS and most phones, which makes it the safe choice for sending to someone else. TAR.GZ preserves Unix permissions and symbolic links and usually compresses a little better, which makes it the right choice for servers and developer workflows.
Why is my archive the same size as the files?
Because those files were already compressed. JPEG, MP3, MP4, PDF and existing archives contain very little redundancy left to find. Grouping them is still useful even when the size does not change.
Does a higher compression level matter?
It saves a few percent on compressible content and costs noticeably more time on large sets. On media files it changes almost nothing at all, so the default level is usually the right trade.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. The whole thing runs inside the browser tab you already have open. Your file is read straight from your own disk, worked on there, and handed back as a download. Nothing is sent anywhere, nothing is stored, and there is no account and no queue.
Is there a file size limit?
There is no server-side limit because there is no server. The practical ceiling is your device memory, since the file and its output both have to fit in the tab. Files up to a few hundred megabytes are usually fine on a desktop machine, while phones and older laptops will struggle sooner. If a large file fails, close other tabs and try again.
Does it work offline?
Yes, once the page has loaded once. The engine is cached by the browser, so you can turn off your connection, reload the page and keep working. That is a useful side effect of doing the processing locally rather than a separate offline mode you have to enable.
Is there a watermark or a paid tier?
No. There is no watermark, no sign-up, no daily cap and no paid tier that unlocks the real version. Running the work on your device means there are no per-file costs to recover.
Other archive tools
Popular archive conversions
Pairs people convert most often in this category, each on its own page.