How to Zip and Unzip Files on iPhone (Including Photos)

Updated: 2026-07-29

The built-in way: the Files app

No install needed. In Files, long-press a file or folder → Compress; select several items via ⋯ → Select and they become Archive.zip. Tapping a .zip extracts everything next to it.

Limits: photos must first be saved out of the Photos app into Files before you can zip them; extraction is all-or-nothing — no picking single files out of a big archive; and there's no way to see what's inside a ZIP before unpacking it.

Zip photos — and anything else — with iFiles

iFiles' Make ZIP tool skips the detour through Files:

1. Open Tools → Make ZIP.
2. Pick straight from your photo library, the Files app, or files already in iFiles — folders included.
3. Save; the ZIP lands in your file list, ready to AirDrop, mail or send over Wi-Fi transfer to a computer.

You can also multi-select files in the iFiles browser and compress from there. Zipping is lossless — photos and videos come out of the archive byte-identical.

Look inside a ZIP before extracting

Received a ZIP by mail or downloaded one in Safari? Open it in iFiles (via the share sheet or from Files) and tap it: you'll see the contents listed like a folder — open a single file with a tap, or extract everything only when you actually want it. No more unpacking 300 files to find the one PDF you needed.

What about RAR, 7z and password-protected archives?

Straight answer: iFiles works with ZIP — it doesn't open RAR or 7z archives, and it doesn't create password-protected ZIPs. If someone sends you a RAR, you'll need a dedicated extractor app. If your goal is protecting a file with a password, iFiles covers that differently: password-protect a PDF, or keep private files in the Face ID vault.

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