If you have bulk files want to backup or transfer, you may think of compressing them into ZIP or RAR files first because you can greatly reduce their size and make them easier to transfer or store. That’s what PC or Mac users would usually do. There are software applications and built-in utilities in Windows and macOS that allow you to compress and decompress files. For example, a Windows user can simply right-click the files or folders and choose an option like “Compress” or “Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder” to quickly zip files on PC.
Since iOS 13, you can also find built-in zip and unzip utilities on iPhone and iPad. We can compress files using the stock Files app on iPhone and iPad without need for a third-party app. Other than that, iPhone users can also choose third-party file manager or zip apps. Many file manager apps on App Store apps are not free and most free apps are difficult to use with limited features. Here we recommend FileMaster app for all iPhone iPad, a popular file management app available for iOS devices which is free to download and use. It provides various features for managing files and documents on iPhones and iPads, including file organization, file transfer, document viewing, and support for compressed files (ZIP and RAR).
In this article, we will show you how you can compress files on an iPhone using the built-in file compression feature as well as free third-party apps that you can download from the App Store.
Method 1. How to Zip Files using FileMaster on iPhone?
First of all, download Filemaster on your iPhone or iPad before we use it to compress files.
Step 1. Import files from iPhone to FileMaster
Run Filemaster on your iPhone or iPad, press the More button at the bottom right corner to import photos and videos from your Camera roll, photo album or video album into the file manager on iPhone. You can also use the Open in, Open with third-party app, or share feature to add many other files from other apps into the file manager. If your files are saved on a PC or Mac, this app can help you easily copy files from computer to iPhone. See this guide to transfer Photos, Videos, Music and more between iPhone and computer over Wi-Fi for FREE.
Step 2. Select and zip files
Now find the file you like to compress in this file manager, long press it to reveal the file menu with options to zip the selected file. If you want to select and zip multiple files, press the More button at the bottom right corner, then choose Multi Select from the pop-up menu, you will then be able to touch and select multiple files and/or folders in the Multi-Select Mode. Once you finished selected all items you want to compress, long press on one of the selected item to get the context menu and choose Zip to compress all selected items into a zip file. To protect your privacy when you have sensitive data included in the document, you can also choose Zip with password.
Depends on how many files you include in the compress file, it may take a while to zip bulk files on iPhone.
After that you can use this file manager to easily send zipped files to anyone else through email. You can also share the zip files between iPhone, iPad users over Bluetooth, transfer the zip files from iPhone to computer through Wi-Fi.
The iPhone file manager is very powerful and feature-rich. If you have any trouble using it, feel free to leave a message below, we will discuss it from the comment section.
Method 2. Compress files on iPhone without third-party apps
If you don’t like to install extra apps, you can also use the stock Files app to compress or decompress files on iPhone. Go to save or copy the files to the Files app first if the files you like to compress or decompress are saved elsewhere.
Open the Files app on your iPhone. Navigate to the folder or location where the files you want to select are located. When you just need to compress only one file or folder, simply long press on it to get the context menu and choose Compress from there. The selected file or folder will be compressed into a zip file in no time. If you like to zip multiple files or folders, tap on the Menu icon (which looks like an ellipsis in a circle, in the top-right corner of the screen.) Then choose Select from the drop-down menu. After that you can tap to select multiple items in Files app. When you have chosen all files and folders, tap on the Menu icon at the bottom right corner, and choose Compress to create a ZIP archive on your iPhone or iPad.
