What does this ZIP file compressor do?
This tool bundles any number of files - or a whole folder, including its subfolders - into a single .zip archive, entirely inside your browser. There's no upload step: files are read with the File API, compressed with JSZip, and the finished archive is handed back to you as a download. It's the same workflow as right-clicking "Compress" on your desktop, just without installing anything.
Reordering, excluding, and previewing before you build
Once files are added, drag any row by its handle to change the order entries appear in the archive. Add comma-separated patterns to Exclude patterns - things like *.tmp, .DS_Store, or node_modules/* - and matching files are marked excluded and skipped when you build, without needing to remove them one by one. After building, the archive preview lists every entry that made it in, along with its compressed size, so you can confirm the contents before downloading.
Choosing a compression level
Store just bundles files with no compression - use it when your files are already compressed (JPEG, MP4, ZIP, PDF) or when speed matters more than size. Normal is a balanced default that works well for most mixed file sets. Maximum squeezes the smallest possible archive out of compressible content like text, code, JSON, and CSV, at the cost of a slower build.
Uploading a folder
Click Browse folder or drag a folder directly onto the drop zone. The full subfolder structure is preserved in the resulting ZIP, so extracting it recreates the same folder layout you started with.
How to compress files into a ZIP
- Drop files or a folder onto the drop zone, or use Browse files / Browse folder.
- Drag rows to reorder, remove anything you don't need, and set exclude patterns if useful.
- Pick a compression level and click Build ZIP.
- Check the archive preview, then click Download archive.zip.
About password protection
Browsers don't have a reliable, standard way to create a properly encrypted ZIP - the handful of in-browser approaches that exist produce weak or non-standard encryption that many archive tools can't even open. Rather than give you a false sense of security, this tool shows guidance for adding real password protection with desktop tools like 7-Zip or WinRAR (AES-256), or the command-line zip -e flag, once you've downloaded your archive.
Privacy & limits
Files never leave your device - everything runs in browser memory using the File API and JSZip. Because of that, the practical limit on archive size is your device's available RAM rather than any server-side quota. Very large batches (many gigabytes) may be slow or memory-constrained on lower-end devices.
Frequently asked questions
Does this tool upload my files anywhere?
No. Every file is read and zipped directly in your browser using the File API and JSZip. Nothing is sent to a server at any point.
Can I zip an entire folder, including subfolders?
Yes. Use "Browse folder" or drag a folder onto the drop zone and the full subfolder structure is preserved in the resulting archive.
Can this tool password-protect my ZIP file?
No. Browsers have no reliable built-in way to produce a properly encrypted ZIP, so this tool does not fake password protection. Instead it shows guidance for adding real encryption with 7-Zip, WinRAR, or the command line after you download the archive.
What do exclude patterns match against?
Patterns match against each file's relative path, including its folder when uploaded as part of a folder. * matches any run of characters, so *.log excludes every file ending in .log and build/* excludes everything inside a folder named build.
Why is my ZIP not much smaller than the original files?
Already-compressed formats like JPEG, MP4, PDF, and ZIP itself don't shrink much further no matter the compression level - that's expected. Text-heavy content like code, JSON, and logs compresses best.