Zip and unzip files on Chromebook

There are users who find Chromebooks very useful and some others lament its purchase. Users are confused about its functionality of whether it has the ability to unzip or zip files. Chromebook users have three options in this regard.

Zip or Unzip Using the Chrome OS

ZIP files are dealt with unconventionally. However both are not compatible.  Unzipping is not difficult as several methods used are known to Windows and Mac users. Just right click on zipped file and extract its contents to new folder. You can also double click that zipped file.

Chrome OS treats a zipped file like external drive. If you double click on it, file is mounted thereby allowing you to browse through those files. If you have decided the files that you want, just copy them to Downloads folder or Google Drive by using the Chromebook’s File app. The ZIP file should be saved locally in Downloads folder. It is bewildering to create a zipped file but simple enough for an inexperienced user.

However if you try to create it form the files saved in Google Drive then it is highly confusing. If you choose the files you want to zip, right click, ‘Zip selection’ option would be unavailable. Just move the files to Download folder before zipping them.  Chromebooks save documents automatically in the cloud by default, once the files are moved to local storage and then create a ZIP file you would see that ‘Zip selection’ option is available now.

Unzip with the help of apps in Chrome Web Store

You need not use Chrome OS to unzip files. Use an app from Chrome Web store. There are several third-party zipping tools for Windows and Mac. There is not much choice as far as Chrome OS is concerned.  

Unzip with the help of a Cloud-Based Service

In case you do not want to use Chrome OS, apply a web-based service like ‘ZipShare‘. It is developed by WinZip makers, this extraction tool allows to upload ZIP files from local machine or online storage spaces before placing the unzipped files in the personal online ZipShare account. It has a 50 Mb upload limit. It allows sharing of unzipped files through several social media platforms.