How to open and create ZIP files on an iPhone (iOS 27)

In short

In the Files app, touch and hold a file or folder and tap Compress: a ZIP with the same name appears next to it. To open a ZIP, tap it: Files unpacks it into a new folder in the same place. If a folder with that name is already there, Files adds a 2 to the name.

8 of 8 steps show a real screenshot from our iPhone 17e.

Steps

1. 1

   Open the folder in Files

   Open the Files app, tap Browse and open the place that holds your files, On My iPhone on ours. It was empty, so we made a test folder: tap the More button, the three dots at the top right.

   Done
   
2. 2

   Tap New Folder

   The menu has Select, New Folder, Scan Documents and Connect to Server, then the view and sort options. Tap New Folder. If your files are already in a folder, skip to step 4.

   Done
   
3. 3

   Name the folder

   The new folder appears with its name, untitled folder, selected and the keyboard open. Type a name and tap the blue tick key. We called ours ZIP test.

   Done
   
4. 4

   Touch and hold the folder

   Touch and hold the folder or file you want to pack, here ZIP test, 0 items. Ours was empty. A menu opens below it.

   Done
   
5. 5

   Tap Compress

   The menu starts with Copy, Move and Share, then Get Info and Rename. Tap Compress, the next item, above Duplicate.

   Done
   
6. 6

   Find the ZIP file

   ZIP test.zip appears at once next to the folder, with the time it was made, 21:32, and its size, 172 bytes. The folder stays where it was. Send the ZIP like any other file.

   Done
   
7. 7

   Tap the ZIP file to open it

   Tap ZIP test.zip. Files unpacks it straight away into a new folder next to it. Ours is ZIP test 2, 0 items: the name ZIP test was taken, and the folder we zipped was empty. The ZIP file stays too. Tap the new folder to open it.

   Done
   
8. 8

   Delete what you no longer need

   Tap the More button, then Select, tap the items and tap Delete. We deleted the test folder, the ZIP and the unpacked folder, and the page showed On My iPhone is Empty.

   Done
   

If you do not see this option

• Opening a ZIP someone sent you? Apple says to find the ZIP in the Files app and tap it. We only opened a ZIP made on the iPhone; we did not save one from Mail, Messages or Safari first. Source: Create or open ZIP files on your iPhone or iPad
• Packing several files into one ZIP? Apple says to tap More, Select, choose the files, then More at the lower right and Compress. Several files become Archive.zip in the same folder. We packed one folder only. Source: Create or open ZIP files on your iPhone or iPad
• No Compress in the three-dot menu? On ours the More menu at the top right had Select and New Folder but no Compress. Compress is in the menu you get by touching and holding the file or folder.

If this does not work

• The unpacked folder ends in 2? Files adds a 2 when a folder with the same name is already there, as with our ZIP test 2. Apple says to touch and hold the folder and tap Rename to change its name.
• The unpacked folder is empty? Ours showed 0 items because the folder we zipped was empty. Apple says tapping a ZIP creates a folder containing the files.
• Want a different name for the ZIP? Apple says to touch and hold the ZIP and tap Rename. On ours Rename is in the same menu as Compress, two items above it.

Good to know

ZIP files take space next to the originals. If your iPhone is full: iPhone storage full? 7 ways to free up space fast. Files you download in Safari go to Files too: change where Safari saves downloads.

The same on a computer: zip and unzip files on a Mac and zip and unzip files on Windows 11.

This guide does not cover password-protected ZIP files. On a Mac: how to open a password-protected ZIP file on a Mac.

About this guide

Device

iPhone

Shown on

iOS 27.0.1 (iPhone 17e)

App

Files

Path

Files › On My iPhone › Compress

Real screenshots

8 of 8 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

1 official, linked below

Sources

• Apple Support: Create or open ZIP files on your iPhone or iPad

Links checked October 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.

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