How to Unzip a File in Vista

Windows Vista has made it easy to compress and uncompress files. You no longer need a third-party utility that will perform these functions, because Windows Vista has them built in. It is not an obvious feature, but it is not hidden either. The ability to compress files allows a user to free up more space on her hard drive. Vista's easy-to-use decompression tool will help you move files from one location to another simply and efficiently.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Double-click the zipped file. A window will open displaying all of the files that are stored in the zipped file.

2. Click the "Extract all Files" selection at the top of the window and the "Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders" window will appear. Here you can choose your location to uncompress the compressed files. Instead of clicking the "Extract all Files" selection, you can just drag and drop your files from this window to another.

3. Click the "Browse..." button and select the destination for the uncompressed files.

4. Click on the "Extract" button after you have selected the location to send the uncompressed files. Files are now unzipped to a location of your choice.

Tips & Warnings

• Right-clicking on the compressed folder and selecting "Extract all..." immediately takes you to the "Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders" window.