Using Compressed Folders in Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows has a built in feature that allows a user to compress files into a single folder file. The first step in using this feature is to create a Compressed (zipped) folder.

How to Create a Compressed Folder

1. Open your My Documents folder
2. Right-click on the My Documents folder and go to New > Compressed (zipped) folder
3. Name the folder with the name of the document(s) that you want to compress
4. When compressed, the folder icon has a zipper on it, indicating it is a Compressed (zipped) folder

Adding Items To and Removing Items From a Compressed Folder

• Moving files and folders to or from compressed folders works the same as with normal uncompressed folders, simply drag and drop a file to the compressed folder
• When a file is dragged to the compressed folder it is automatically compressed
• When a file is moved out of a compressed folder, it is automatically uncompressed
  • Note: The original compressed files remain in the compressed folder

Attaching Compressed Files to an Email

1. Create the email and click on the Insert/Attach icon
2. Navigate to your My Documents folder, locate and attach the compressed folder that you created
3. Send the email
   • The compressed folder acts as a single file when attached to an email
   • Email attachments are limited to approximately 20 MB per email
   • If your compressed folder is larger than 20 MB, you will need to split the contents into multiple compressed folders