Compress a Folder into ZIP Online — No Software, No Upload

Compressing a folder into a ZIP is one of the most common file management tasks — backing up a project before making changes, bundling client deliverables for handover, or packaging code before sending to a colleague. FastZip handles this directly in your browser with no software required.

Drag your folder onto the drop zone in the Create ZIP panel above. FastZip reads all files inside the folder (including nested subfolders), preserves the complete directory hierarchy, and produces a standard ZIP file you can download instantly.

Folder structure is preserved — If your folder has subfolders (like a web project with css/, js/, images/), all of those are preserved exactly in the ZIP. The person who unzips the archive gets the same folder structure back.

What FastZip does NOT do — FastZip does not modify your original files in any way. Creating a ZIP is a read-only operation: FastZip reads your files, creates a new ZIP in memory, and offers it for download. Your original folder and files are completely unchanged.

Perfect for project backup before refactoring — Before making significant changes to a codebase or design project, many developers and designers zip the current state as a quick snapshot. FastZip makes this a 5-second operation in any browser, on any device, without needing git or cloud backup.

Sharing project folders with clients — Sending a folder of files via email typically means zipping it first. FastZip lets you do this without the clunky right-click > Send to > Compressed folder workflow on Windows, or the slow Finder compress option on macOS.

Format & Feature Reference

BrowserFolder Drag-and-DropFolder Browse
Chrome (Desktop)YesYes
Firefox (Desktop)YesYes
Edge (Desktop)YesYes
Safari (Desktop)YesYes
Chrome (Android)N/AYes (file picker)
Safari (iOS)N/AYes (Files app)
Samsung InternetN/AYes (file picker)

Zipping a Web Project Folder

Frontend developers frequently need to zip a web project — for client delivery, for backup before deployment, or for sending to a code reviewer. FastZip handles nested project structures well: src/, public/, dist/, node_modules/ (though you probably don't want to include node_modules given its size).

Drag your project folder into FastZip, exclude any files you don't need, and download the ZIP. This is faster than running zip -r project.zip ./project/ in terminal and more accessible on shared or restricted machines.

Compressing Photo Folders for Sharing

Photographers and designers often need to share batches of images with clients or team members. Attaching individual photos to email is tedious — a single ZIP containing the full delivery folder is much cleaner.

JPEG photos are already compressed and won't shrink further in the ZIP, but FastZip still bundles them efficiently into one file for easy transfer. The original EXIF metadata in each photo is preserved exactly — nothing is re-encoded or modified.

Creating an Archive Before Making Big Changes

Before refactoring code, reorganizing a design system, or making any significant change that's hard to undo, a quick local ZIP backup is an insurance policy. FastZip does this in seconds without leaving your browser.

This workflow is especially useful when working with files that aren't in version control — design files, client deliverables, legacy code, downloaded assets — where git isn't an option.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I zip an entire folder including its subfolders?
Yes. FastZip reads all files in a folder recursively and preserves the complete directory hierarchy inside the ZIP.
What happens if my folder contains thousands of files?
FastZip handles large file counts well. The practical limit is the 100 MB total output size for free users. A folder with thousands of small text files may still be within this limit after compression.
Can I exclude specific files or folders from the ZIP?
Currently FastZip includes all files you drop in. File exclusion is a planned feature. For now, copy the files you want into a temporary folder and zip that.
Does zipping a folder affect the original files?
No. FastZip reads your files and creates a new ZIP — your original folder and files are completely untouched.
My folder contains hidden files (starting with a dot) — will they be included?
Yes. FastZip includes all files visible to the browser's file access API, including dotfiles. On macOS, .DS_Store files may be included if they exist in the folder.
Can I compress a folder on my iPhone?
Yes. In Safari on iOS, tap the drop zone and use the Files picker to select a folder from iCloud Drive or local storage. FastZip will compress all accessible files in that folder.