Whether it’s for school, personal life, or business, file conversion is a tactic used to help ease sending files. The file types such as DOC, DOCX, JPEG, PDF, and GIF allow us to view documents and images differently.
However, there are times when we get an uncommon file type like a ZIP file that sends us in a loop. It’s unlike the other file types but can help protect your files like a PDF.
ZIP files can be converted to other file types with the right software. Let’s take a look at how we can convert ZIP to PDF and continue protecting our files.
What Is a ZIP File?
A ZIP file is like a “super folder.” Typically, when we want to organize our documents, we put them in a folder and then move them to a preferred location.
The problem with folders is that we can’t email them if we need to because the contents may be too big. ZIP files ease this burden. The files inside the zip archive are compressed into a smaller size, and now you’ll be able to send them with no problems.
How Do I Make a Zip File?
If you want to send multiple large documents, you should create a ZIP file. To do this:
- You highlight the files you want to send, right-click, and scroll down to “Compressed (zipped) Folder”
- You’ll see a folder with a zip on it which will have your compressed files
- Rename the folder and send your documents
It’s a straightforward process, and you’ll be able to send documents more efficiently.
If you want extra protection for your ZIP archive, you can also encrypt them with a password. It will help protect your files from any potential threats in case they get lost on the internet.
What Do I Do With a Zip File?
When you receive a zip file, you may be wondering what to do with it. Well, you unzip it. To do that, you’ll need software that specializes in unzipping files.
There are a few different types of software such as:
- WinZip
- 7-Zip
- WinRAR
- PeaZip
Some of these programs will require you to pay for the full features to unzip your files, while others are open source. Depending on how often you work with ZIP files, make sure that you choose wisely.
The software will extract all the files in the ZIP archive and create a new folder inside. Now you have all of your necessary documents.
Convert ZIP to PDF
File conversion is used in most of our computer duties, and it makes it easier to open up different types of files. The most common file conversions would be:
- DOC to DOCX
- DOC/DOCX to PDF
- JPG to PDF
- PDF to DOCX
- PPTX to PDF
These have become essential for computer users to transfer crucial files in their required formats. Although it may not be as common as the other file types, it is possible to convert ZIP files to PDF.
Converting a ZIP archive to a PDF is different than converting another file type like DOCX because the converted documents can be merged into one single PDF once you unzip them.
DOCX files are unzipped individually, and then you’ll have to put them together manually. So converting your ZIP files to PDF format can be helpful.
There are free file conversion tools and different software that can help you convert your files. Here’s how you go about unzipping your files and converting them:
- Right-click on your ZIP archive and select “Convert to PDF”
- This will create PDF files for all of the documents
- You can also right-click on your ZIP archive and choose “Combine to one PDF”
- Doing this will combine all your PDF files into a document making it easier to view
And that’s it. That’s how simple it is to convert your ZIP archive into PDF files. It’s also good to remember that you can choose the location you want your files to go to, so you’re not searching for them.
Is ZIP Better Than PDF?
Both ZIP archives and PDF files are excellent for their respective uses. As I mentioned before, ZIP archives can compress large files that you’re sending. ZIP archives also make it easier to find all the files once they are unzipped.
However, there are times when using ZIP files that the contents may become corrupt. This happens because altering the files to compress and then expand them alters the data inside.
Some scams have been associated with using ZIP files. Scammers choose to use ZIP archives to gain valuable information from potential citizens. So you’ll have to be careful when using ZIP files at times.
Although they can’t compress files like ZIP archives, PDF files give options to secure files and make them easier to present. PDF files are the most common file used for sending important documents without altering their contents.
You can also alter PDF files if they need to be edited, making them a great option. ZIP files cannot be modified. What is in the ZIP file is already compressed. Editing will have to come after decompressing the files and making changes then.
Time To Convert Your Files
We know that file conversion is essential to our everyday lives, and now we know the different types that there are. You’ve also learned that you can convert ZIP to PDF to make it easier to view your compressed files.
If this post was helpful and you want to learn more about file conversion, be sure to check our other blog posts.