If a good number of files and old documents are taking up space on your beloved Mac's hard drive, why not pack them into one archive to free up some space? The Mac OS X operating system has built-in file compression functionality, but if you want, you can install any third-party program you're used to using. Read on to find out how to compress your old files.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Using Finder
Step 1. Open the Finder window
You can do this by simply selecting the Finder icon found on your Mac Dock. It is a blue, square-shaped icon that represents a stylized face. Once the Finder window opens, navigate to where the files you want to compress are located.
To easily compress many files stored in different destinations in a single operation, it will be useful to create a new folder in which to move all the data to be compressed
Step 2. Select the files
You can select a specific set of files, starting from a larger list, simply by holding down the 'Command' key and selecting each file with the mouse. When you have identified all the files to be compressed, select them with the right mouse button. If your mouse has only one button, hold down the 'Ctrl' key to do this.
If you want to compress an entire folder, select it with the right mouse button
Step 3. Compress the file
From the context menu that appeared, select the item 'Compress [file or folder name]' or 'Compress [XX] items', according to the objects to be compressed. Wait for the compression process to complete. The total time will obviously depend on the number of files to be compressed and could reach several minutes. The compressed file name will be the same as the original file or folder name.
- Compressing a multiple selection of files or folders will create a 'Archive.zip' file.
- Compressed files will take up about 10% less space than the original ones. This value may vary depending on the nature of the object to be compressed.
Method 2 of 2: Using Third Party Programs
Step 1. Look for a data compression program
On the web there are many distributed for free or for a fee. The handling of some compression formats, such as '.rar', requires proprietary software. Other formats, such as '.zip', can be handled by almost all compression programs.
Other compression formats, other than the Mac OS X standard '.zip', may compress your files more, saving you additional disk space
Step 2. Select the files to compress
As soon as you have installed and started the compression program, select the files and folders you want to compress. The steps involved vary from program to program, although it is often sufficient to simply drag and drop objects within the program window.
Step 3. Make your data safe
Many compression programs allow you to protect compressed archives using a password. Check the options available in the security menu, or in the 'File' menu, looking for an item relating to the use of a password, or data encryption.
