# How to Make an Encrypted Compressed File (and Open One You Were Sent) Canonical: https://filevale.com/guides/encrypted-compressed-file/ Updated: 2026-11-03 > An encrypted compressed file is an archive, usually a ZIP, that is packed small and locked with a password. Here is how to make one and open one. An encrypted compressed file is an archive, usually a ZIP, that packs several files into one smaller file and locks it with a password, so only someone who knows the password can see what is inside. The quickest way to make one is to put your files into a password-protected ZIP; the person you send it to opens it with the same password. Here is how to do that in your browser, and what the built-in options can and can't do. ## Make a password-protected ZIP in your browser [Open Password-Protect ZIP](https://filevale.com/zip-with-password/) 1. Open Password-Protect ZIP and drop the files you want to send onto the page. 2. Choose a password, ideally a long one that you don't use anywhere else. 3. Create the archive and download the ZIP. 4. Send the ZIP, and share the password a different way, for example by phone or a separate message. The files are packed on your device: Filevale runs in the browser and nothing is uploaded. It is free and adds no watermarks. If you don't need a password and just want one file to send, [Create ZIP](/create-zip/) packs files into a plain ZIP. ## Compress first, then lock Photos, videos and PDFs are often already compressed, so a ZIP of them may be barely smaller than the originals. If size matters, shrink the files before you zip them. [Open Reduce File Size](https://filevale.com/reduce-file-size/) Reduce File Size re-encodes photos as JPEG or WebP at the quality you pick, recompresses PDF pages, turns video into H.264 at a lower bitrate and audio into MP3. You get a new, smaller copy and the original is never touched. If a file can't get any smaller, you are told so and the original is kept. Then put the smaller files into a password-protected ZIP as above. ## Open an encrypted compressed file you received To get at the contents you need the password from the sender. [Extract Archive](/extract-archive/) opens ZIP, RAR, 7Z and TAR files in your browser, and the [archive tools](/archive-tools/) page lists the single-format extractors. For more on opening archives on different devices, see [how to open RAR, 7Z and ZIP files](/guides/open-rar-zip-7z-files/). ## Only need to lock one PDF? [Open Password Protect PDF](https://filevale.com/password-protect-pdf/) If the thing you want to protect is a single PDF, you don't need an archive at all. Password Protect PDF locks the PDF itself with a password, so it can be opened only with that password. Later, [Unlock PDF](/unlock-pdf/) removes a PDF password you know. The guide on [password-protected PDFs](/guides/password-protected-pdf/) covers both directions. ## Built-in options on Windows and Mac - **Windows**: right-click and *Send to → Compressed (zipped) folder* makes a ZIP, but it has no password option. The *Compress* and *Encrypt* checkboxes under a file's *Properties → Advanced* are a different thing: they work on the disk itself, not on a file you can send, and you can only tick one of the two. - **Mac**: *Compress* in the Finder's right-click menu makes a ZIP without a password. Disk Utility can make an encrypted disk image from a folder (*File → New Image → Image from Folder*), which opens easily on other Macs but not on Windows. A password-protected ZIP is usually the format the other person can open most easily, whatever they use. ## Things to know before you send it - In a standard ZIP, the file names inside can be seen without the password; only the contents are locked. If the names themselves are sensitive, rename the files before packing them. - Never put the password in the same email as the attachment. - If you forget the password, the files can't be recovered. Keep the originals until you know the archive arrived and opens. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is a password-protected ZIP the same as an encrypted file? Yes, in everyday terms. Adding a password to a ZIP encrypts the files inside it, so they can't be read until someone types the right password. Use a long password that is hard to guess. ### Can I make an encrypted RAR file instead? Not with Filevale: it can't create RAR files, because the RAR format may only be written by RARLAB's own software. A password-protected ZIP does the same job and opens on more devices without extra apps. ### What if I forgot the password to my own encrypted file? There is no reset or recovery for an encrypted archive; without the password the contents stay locked. The same goes for PDFs: [Unlock PDF](/unlock-pdf/) removes a password only when you know it. If you still have the original files, make a new encrypted ZIP with a password you will remember.