Sometimes, it is useful to archive or compress files, for example:
You want to attach an entire directory, including its subdirectories, to an e-mail.
You want to attach a large file to an e-mail.
You want to save space on your hard disk and have files you rarely use.
In all these cases, you can create a compressed file, such as a ZIP file, which can contain multiple original files. How much smaller the compressed version is than the original depends on the file type. Many video, image and office document formats are already compressed and will only become marginally smaller.
In the GNOME Files content area, right-click the directory you want to archive, then click Compress.
Accept the default archive file name or provide a new one.
Select a file extension from the drop-down box.
.zip files are supported on most operating systems, including Windows*.
.tar.gz files are compatible with most Linux* and Unix* systems.
.7z files usually offer better compression ratios than other formats, but are not as widely supported.
Specify a location for the archive file, then click Create.
To extract an archived file, right-click the file, then select Extract Here. You can also double-click the compressed file to open it and see which files are included.