March 13, 2025

Hands-On Mac 173: Archive Utility

21 minutes

Mikah Sargent dives deep into Archive Utility on macOS, a powerful but often overlooked tool that works behind the scenes to compress and expand files on your Mac. From creating basic zip archives to encrypted files, this episode reveals all the hidden features of this versatile utility.

How compression works - Compression algorithms look for repeating patterns in data to make files smaller, though already compressed files like JPEGs may not benefit much.

Quick compression with right-click - The fastest way to compress files is selecting them, right-clicking, and choosing "Compress," which always creates a standard zip file.

Opening Archive Utility - Access it directly by using Command+Space and typing "archive" to explore its full capabilities beyond the right-click option.

Archive Utility settings - Configure where expanded files are saved, what happens to archives after expansion, and whether to automatically expand nested archives.

Expansion options - Choose to keep, trash, or delete archives after expanding them, or move them to a specific location.

Compression options - Similar settings exist for what happens to original files after creating an archive.

Archive formats explained - Despite setting preferences in Archive Utility, the right-click "Compress" option always creates zip files regardless of settings.

Creating CPGZ archives - These compressed archives must be created by selecting a folder through the File menu, not through right-click compression.

Regular archives (CPIO) - Simple "briefcase" archives without compression, useful for bundling files without reducing size.

Apple Archive (AAR) - A Mac-specific format that uses multi-threaded compression to efficiently compact files.

Encrypted archives (AER) - Secure, password-protected archives that can be unlocked with Touch ID if saved to your keychain.

Why ZIP remains the standard - ZIP format is used for the right-click compression option because of its universal compatibility across different operating systems.

Zip and unzip files and folders on Mac - https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/zip-and-unzip-files-and-folders-on-mac-mchlp2528/mac

Host: Mikah Sargent

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