How to zip a folder on a Mac.
Three ways from right-click to rename.
Zipping is built into macOS and has been forever — this guide exists because the built-in way has two quirks people search about: the archive is always named 'Archive.zip' when you compress multiple items, and there's no compression control. Methods, in order of ceremony:
1Right-click → Compress (built in)
- Select the folder in Finder.
- Right-click → Compress "Folder".
- A .zip appears alongside.
The standard way. Multiple selections become the eternally generic 'Archive.zip'.
2Terminal (control, for the comfortable)
- Open Terminal.
- Run: zip -r ~/Desktop/name.zip /path/to/folder
- Add -x '.DS_Store' to keep Mac droppings out of archives you send to Windows folks.
Full control including exclusions — if the Terminal is home to you.
3Rename with RenameTo
- Rename the folder: Report → Report.zip, press Return.
- The archive is created in place, named exactly what you typed.
- The original folder stays; the new archive is a separate output.
Naming and archiving become one gesture — which is what you were about to do anyway.
The rename version wins on a technicality that matters: you never get 'Archive.zip'. The archive is born with its real name.
Questions? Answers.
More Mac guides
How to convert HEIC to JPG on a Mac.
Three honest methods — from the built-in one-off to bulk conversion by rename.
How to convert MOV to MP4 on a Mac.
From the heavyweight tools to the one-gesture version.
How to compress a video on a Mac.
Including the only method that hits an exact megabyte target.
How to remove a background on a Mac.
Your Mac can do this natively — three ways, no subscription required.