# zip — Create and Extract ZIP Archives > Practical guide to zip and unzip: create, extract, compress and encrypt ZIP archives – the most universal cross-platform archive format. Source: https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/cheatsheets/archives/zip/ zip and unzip are the classic tools for the ZIP format – the one archive format you can open virtually anywhere, from Windows to macOS to Linux. With `zip` you bundle and compress files in a single step; with `unzip` you get them back out. This guide walks you through the commands you reach for daily: recursive archiving, compression levels, exclude patterns, encryption and extracting individual files on demand. ## Create Archives `zip .zip ` — Create a ZIP archive from files. ```bash zip backup.zip file1.txt file2.txt ``` `zip -r .zip ` — Create a ZIP archive from a directory (recursive). ```bash zip -r project.zip project/ ``` `zip -j .zip ` — Create archive without directory paths (junk paths). ```bash zip -j flat.zip path/to/file1.txt path/to/file2.txt ``` `zip - .zip ` — Set compression level (0=store, 1=fastest, 9=best). ```bash zip -9 best.zip largefile.dat ``` `zip -0 .zip ` — Store files without compression (faster for pre-compressed data). ```bash zip -0 images.zip *.jpg ``` ## Add, Update & Delete `zip -u .zip ` — Update: add new or changed files to an existing archive. ```bash zip -u backup.zip newfile.txt ``` `zip -d .zip ` — Delete files from an existing archive. ```bash zip -d backup.zip oldfile.txt ``` `zip -g .zip ` — Grow: append files to an existing archive. ```bash zip -g backup.zip extra.txt ``` ## Exclude & Filter `zip -r .zip -x ''` — Create archive excluding files matching a pattern. ```bash zip -r project.zip project/ -x '*.git*' '*node_modules*' ``` `zip -r .zip -x '*.log' '*.tmp'` — Exclude multiple file patterns. ```bash zip -r deploy.zip src/ -x '*.log' '*.tmp' '*.test.js' ``` `zip -r .zip -i '*.php' '*.html'` — Include only files matching patterns. ```bash zip -r code.zip project/ -i '*.php' '*.html' '*.css' ``` ## Encryption & Split `zip -e .zip ` — Create a password-encrypted ZIP archive. ```bash zip -e -r secret.zip confidential/ ``` `zip -P '' .zip ` — Create encrypted archive with inline password (insecure in history). ```bash zip -P 'mypass' secret.zip file.txt ``` `zip -s -r .zip ` — Create a split archive (multi-part). ```bash zip -s 100m -r large.zip bigfolder/ ``` ## unzip — Extract `unzip .zip` — Extract all files from a ZIP archive. ```bash unzip backup.zip ``` `unzip .zip -d ` — Extract to a specific directory. ```bash unzip backup.zip -d /tmp/restore/ ``` `unzip .zip ''` — Extract only specific files. ```bash unzip backup.zip 'config.yaml' ``` `unzip -o .zip` — Overwrite existing files without prompting. ```bash unzip -o update.zip -d /var/www/ ``` `unzip -n .zip` — Never overwrite existing files. ```bash unzip -n backup.zip ``` `unzip -l .zip` — List contents of a ZIP archive without extracting. ```bash unzip -l backup.zip ``` `unzip -t .zip` — Test archive integrity without extracting. ```bash unzip -t backup.zip ``` `unzip -p .zip ''` — Extract a file to stdout (pipe to another command). ```bash unzip -p backup.zip config.json | jq . ``` ## Conclusion The ZIP format wins on ubiquity above all: if you need to hand an archive to someone on another platform, `zip` is almost always a safe bet. Don't rely on its built-in encryption, though – the legacy ZipCrypto scheme (`zip -e`, `zip -P`) is considered weak and easy to break, and `-P` writes your password straight into the shell history. For genuine confidentiality, reach for AES-capable tools such as 7-Zip, or age and GPG. ## Further Reading - [Info-ZIP – official project site](http://www.info-zip.org/) – home of zip and unzip, with documentation and source code - [zip(1) – Linux man page](https://linux.die.net/man/1/zip) – complete option reference for the zip command ## Related Commands - [7z](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/cheatsheets/archives/7z/) – high-compression archiver with strong AES-256 encryption - [gzip](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/cheatsheets/archives/gzip/) – fast stream compression for single files - [tar](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/cheatsheets/archives/tar/) – bundles directory trees into one archive (often paired with gzip)