Mac Terminal Zip Multiple Files

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If you want to make a zip without those invisible Mac resource files such as “MACOSX” or “.Filename” and.ds store files, use the “-X” option in the command so: zip -r -X archivename.zip foldertocompress TAR.GZ – Cross Platform. In the drop-down menu that appears, click on 'Compress.' A zip file will be created in the same directory as the original folder. How to Zip Files Using Mac Terminal. You can Zip your files in Mac's Terminal in different ways, but the simplest method will be outlined here for you. Open up a Finder window. Zip multiple files. Step 1: Hold down the mouse button or trackpad to draw a box around all the files you want to compress. Alternatively, press the Command button while tapping the trackpad. Compress and uncompress file archives in Terminal on Mac. When sending folders and multiple files between computers, it’s helpful to compress them into a single archive. This saves space, lets you transfer just one item instead of many, and makes it easier to resume in case the task is suspended for some reason.

When you come across split ZIP files that look like sequential part numbers, before extracting files out of the archive, you first need to join the split files together into a single, complete, ZIP file. A split ZIP file could look like this, for instance:

691-5088-A.zip_.001
691-5088-A.zip_.002
691-5088-A.zip_.003
691-5088-A.zip_.004

NOTE: Just so it's clear to everybody, this article talks about ZIP but it obviously works on ANY type of file. It doesn't matter if it's a ZIP or DMG or TEXT or any kind of file, that is irrelevant. It's just a split file. It has nothing specific to do with ZIP. You can think of 'ZIP' here in this article as 'A FILE'. e.g. ASD_ssps_004-0303-A.001.dmg + ASD_ssps_004-0303-A.002.dmg will become ASD_ssps_004-0303-A.dmg

Under Windows

Open a command prompt and navigate to the folder containing all the ZIP part files. Once you're under that folder, adapt the following command (here based on the part files listed in example above) to your situation:

copy /B 691-5088-A.zip_.* 691-5088-A.zip

NOTE: Remember that '.zip' is only an example here. If your file is, e.g. a DMG, then it should end with '.dmg', not '.zip'.

What this does is to create a combined file (copy) from all the ZIP parts and save it as 691-5088-A.zip which you can then expand normally.

Under Mac OS X or Linux

Open a Terminal window and navigate to the folder containing all the ZIP part files. Once you're under that folder, adapt the following command (here based on the part files listed in example above) to your situation:

cat 691-5088-A.zip_.* > 691-5088-A.zip

NOTE: Remember that '.zip' is only an example here. If your file is, e.g. a DMG, then it should end with '.dmg', not '.zip'.

What this does is to combine (cat) all the files into a single file named 691-5088-A.zip which you can then expand normally.

Under classic Mac OS (9, 8 or 7)

Use ChunkJoiner. Select all the .001, .002, .003, etc ZIP part files all at once then drag and drop the files selection onto the ChunkJoiner app icon and save the recombined output a file name. If dragging and dropping files onto the app icon doesn't work, rebuild the desktop once before using this app so that the Finder knows that this app accepts all file types.

That's it :)


Instead of using ls and grep and zip's -@, you can use shell globs to select files directly on the zip command line e.g. Zip files.zip file. or zip images.zip.jpg. Also, when using a list of filenames from a file, you can use redirection instead of invoking a separate cat process, zip files.zip -@ zip.lst – steeldriver May 25 '16 at 0:28.

Mac Terminal Zip Multiple Files

Image credit: Mia Baker

Mac Terminal Zip Multiple Files In Linux

From time to time, we have to deal with zip files in our day-to-day work. Maybe your friend sends you a zipped archive of photos of the party you were in last week or maybe your colleague sends you a file of documents. It’s not that often, but it happens. Moreover, zip files are very useful, when sending emails using Google Mail, because there’s a limited amount of space that is allowed to be sent. If you’re running windows, there’s no big of a deal, unzipping the files. But what about Mac?

Have you ever opened a zip file on Mac? Do you know the best way to do that? There are three main methods for it. You can use built-in utilities, Terminal or third-party apps. In this article, we’ll cover best zipping and unzipping options available for your Mac.

The Common Way

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The common way to zip and unzip files is by using your Mac’s Archive Utility, which can be accessed through Applications > Utilities folder. Archive Utility has the basic file compression functionality. You can quickly zip and unzip files and folders, to send to your friend or upload to Dropbox.

Archive Utility can easily zip single files and folders, by right-clicking it and choosing Compress function. When compressing multiple items, the process is about the same, with only a few minor differences. Instead of showing a name of file or folder that is being compressed, in the pop-up menu, the word Compress will be followed by the number of items that are being selected. Moreover, the zip file will be automatically called Archive.zip and will be stored in the same folder as the files you were compressing.

Mac Terminal Zip Folder

If you want to unzip your files, the process is, all the same, just reversed. You simply right-click the zip archive, choose “Open with” and then select Archive Utility. Moments later, the archive will be unzipped. The only downside is that Archive Utility has only these two functions – compressing and decompressing. If you would want to preview the content of your archive, protect it with a password, merge the archives or use the extended range of file types like RAR, you’d need special tools. Luckily for you, there’s a vast selection of those tools. You can check “Setapp” guide called The Easiest Way to Archive Files on a Mac to learn more.

Compressions Tips Using Terminal

Archive Utility’s lack of functionality can be fixed by using the Terminal. Have you ever used the Terminal on your Mac? If you’re not a programmer, chances are you haven’t. The reason is that it’s not that user-friendly. Instead, you can search third-party apps, that covers all the functionality of the Archive Utility, but at the same times packs high-end features.

Zip File Mac Free

These features can be adding comments to the archives and deleting files from archives without unzipping it. Moreover, most of the apps are fully integrated with the macOS workflow so they will work without problems. You can also find applications for zipping and unzipping files that suggest passwords for you to use to encrypt archives.

Creating an Encrypted Archive

Image credit: Max Nelson

Computer security is a very valuable thing in today’s digital world. Unfortunately, Apple’s Archive Utility doesn’t offer ZIP archives’ encryption with a password. The good thing is that there’s a way to do it if needed. The bad thing is that to do that, you’ll need to use the Terminal. To do so, you’ll need to open the Terminal, which can be easily accessed by pressing command + spacebar and typing “Terminal” into the search bar. In the opened window follow these actions:

Mac Terminal Zip Multiple Files

  1. Type the following command: (single space) zip -e ~/Desktop/Archive.zip
  2. Drag the folder containing the files you wish to archive to the Terminal window and the command will look like this: zip -e ~/Desktop/Archive.zip /path-to-folder
  3. Lastly, press Enter and create a password to use for the archive and the encrypted file will appear on your desktop.

Mac Terminal Zip Multiple Files Into One

This process might look and feel a bit complicated and inconvenient, but if you need to use encryption only once or twice there’s no need to look for other alternatives. For those people who are encrypting files regularly, a third-party app is a must. It will make the process of encrypting archives effortless and much faster.

Mac Terminal Zip Multiple Files Online

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