Working with the Explorer Context Menu

You can initiate most common operations on archives from the Windows File Explorer context menus. In many cases, you won't even need to display or use the main WinZip window.

Unzipping files from Windows File Explorer

• Right click on a Zip file (.zip or .zipx) in a Windows File Explorer window, then choose WinZip from the context menu and pick the appropriate Unzip choice from the WinZip submenu. You can unzip to the current folder ("here"), a recently used folder, a new subfolder created by WinZip, or any folder of your choice.
• Or, use the right mouse button to drag and drop a Zip file from a Windows File Explorer window to any folder, then choose Unzip to from the context menu. Be sure to use the right mouse button while dragging.
• You can extract from multiple Zip files in one operation, too: just select the Zip files in Explorer, right click on any of the selected files, choose WinZip from the context menu, and pick the appropriate Unzip choice from the WinZip submenu.
  
  

Zipping files from Windows File Explorer

• Select one or more files in a Windows File Explorer window, then right click on any of the selected files, choose WinZip from the context menu, and pick the appropriate Add choice from the WinZip submenu. You can create a new Zip file or you can add the files to any existing Zip file.
• Alternatively, select one or more files, then drag and drop them onto an existing Zip file in the same Explorer window, in another Explorer window, or on the desktop. Note that you can create a new, empty Zip file in Explorer by right clicking on any open area in the Explorer window and choosing New and then WinZip File or WinZip Zipx File.
  
  

Zipping and emailing files and folders from Windows File Explorer

• Select one or more files or folders in a Windows Explorer window, then right click on any of the selected items, click WinZip from the context menu, and choose one of the Zip and E-Mail entries from the WinZip submenu.
  • Zip and E-Mail filename quickly compresses the selected items, creates a temporary Zip file with the specified name, and attaches it to a new email message. If any of the selected files are images, you will be presented with the WinZip - Zip and E-Mail dialog which will allow you to resize the images prior to zipping; this resize operation will not affect the original files but only the files contained in the new Zip file.
  • Zip and E-Mail Plus performs the same basic operation but, in addition to allowing you to resize your selected image files, it also allows you to specify the name of the Zip file, select the compression type, and add encryption, if desired.
    
    

For a complete list of the actions available from the context menu, see the Explorer context menu enhancements.

See also

Using the Start Menu and Desktop

Using Drag and Drop

Explorer context menu enhancements

Explorer (WinZip Options)