Novus Convert
Convert files
Archive format

ZIP converter

A .zip file bundles files and folders into a single archive, compressing each entry individually. It is the only compression format that every major operating system can open and create without extra software, which is why .zip remains the default way to send multiple files.

Private for supported formats — processed in your browser

Convert supported files

Runs on your device

Drop ZIP files here

Batch files can each use a different output. Nothing uploads for local conversions.

Working inputs include camera RAW, browser-local audio/video, PDF, CBZ/CBR comics, office documents, ebooks, markup, 3D models, structured text, images, and archives.

Where ZIP comes from

Phil Katz created ZIP in 1989 for PKWARE's PKZIP after losing a lawsuit over the earlier ARC format, and pointedly published the specification (APPNOTE.TXT) for anyone to implement. DEFLATE arrived with PKZIP 2.0 in 1993, and the ZIP64 extensions of 2001 lifted the original 4 GB and 65,535-entry limits.

How ZIP works

  • Every entry is compressed independently, usually with DEFLATE, so a single file can be extracted without touching the rest.
  • A central directory at the end of the archive lists all entries — readers consult it first, which is why truncated downloads fail at the finish line.
  • Per-file compression forfeits cross-file redundancy: many similar small files compress far worse than in a solid 7z archive.
  • Legacy ZipCrypto password protection is trivially breakable; only the AES-encrypted variants offer real security.
  • Each entry carries a CRC-32 checksum that catches corruption at extraction time.

When to use ZIP

  • Emailing or sharing a batch of files as one attachment.
  • Distributing software releases and website assets.
  • Serving as the container beneath other formats — docx, xlsx, jar, apk, and epub are all ZIP inside.
  • Quick folder snapshots before a risky change.

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Opens natively on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.
  • Random access: any single entry extracts without decompressing the archive.
  • Ubiquitous library support — fflate handles it in JavaScript, which powers this site's client-side repacking.
  • Archives can be created in a streaming fashion.

Limitations

  • Weaker ratios than 7z or xz, especially across many small similar files.
  • Two incompatible encryption schemes routinely confuse users.
  • Filename encoding from older tools garbles non-ASCII names on other systems.

Compatibility

File Explorer has handled ZIP since Windows XP, Finder and the GNOME/KDE file managers extract it with a double-click, and iOS and Android manage it through their Files apps. No mainstream platform requires any third-party install for basic ZIP work.

Stores modification times at DOS 2-second resolution and, through the Unix extra field, permission bits — though Windows-made ZIPs usually omit those bits, a classic cause of scripts arriving non-executable.

Convert ZIP to another format

Convert other formats to ZIP