In addition, file extension may disappear when you ZIP file(s) using the built-in ZIP compression on Mac.
_ prefix as well as other invisible system files that clutters and potentially confuses users who open the ZIP file on a PC.
Using the built-in ZIP compression in Mac OS X will result in many 'unnecessary' files with.
It is possible to selectively protect certain files in the ZIP archive with a password so recipients who don't know the password can still extract and open the unprotected files in the ZIP archive.Īnother reason you may like when using WinZip to compress files is compatibility with other platform. Yes, you can do selective extraction and size comparison at a glance.Īdvanced features like email integration and encryption (password protection) to all or some files in the ZIP are available too. Drop it in to the WinZip for compression, and drag it out to extract. Handling files in and out of the ZIP file is as simple as drag-n-drop.
WinZip for Mac has the same compression power as the built-in ZIP compression in Mac OS X, but the former offers browsing and preview capabilities just like how you view files in Finder: icons and list view, quicklook, as well as coverflow. If Mac OS X can natively handle common archive formats like ZIP, TAR and RAR, why should you spend your hard-earned dollars on a product that basically does the same thing? The answer lies on the advanced archiving features and options that Mac OS X doesn't offer. I'm giving this software 5 stars as I'm finding it exactly what I was expecting to get and wanted for an app of this type.
If you need a full featured, intuitively easy-to-use and very reasonably priced app for your Mac and require absolute peace-of-mind knowing that your information is fully secured until unlocked with a password, this is absolutely the way to go. Corel/WinZip has been around for a long time and seems to be the leader in this area of file compression and security. I was weary if the Mac version of WinZip would compare favorably in speed, feature-set, quality of the GUI (Graphical User Interface-what you see on the screen when using this app), and compatibility with a variety of file formats and am delighted to say, this Mac version is absolutely great over-all. While both Windows and Macs offer a means of compressing and decompressing files, the ability to protect valuable information directly on a mac or in emails over the internet, is what really makes this app shine. I'm guessing most clients and web site email services will allow setting up "trusted" email addresses so WinZip can be used successfully. But, my friends and family have my email address set as -fully trusted- so all of my emails and locked attachments always get through. Some clients refuse to accept attachments if they can't first be verified as "OK" (Virus free, etc). This might pose a problem on some email clients if "examining" the file(s) attachment(s) before viewing (and/or downloading) is required, but, this process can't be completed on a locked and protected file. I have verified the zipped/locked/encrypted files are totally secure and they can not be scanned for viruses nor used at all without the correct password.
There's also a means of sending a zipped/locked file in an email directly in the WinZip app without having to go to your email client or website, pretty nifty and it saves a few clicks and steps! Yes, there are other alternatives requiring additional steps on a Mac to allow you to secure and lock a file, but, WinZip does it instantly and on the fly! That feature to me makes this app worth every penny you pay for it. The GUI and design of the application in use is quite easy to use and keeps it simple to select what you wish to do. Having now used this WinZip version for about 20 hours, I have found it to be a superb application which I expect to use a lot. I recently needed a means of both locking as well as encrypting files and folders on my Mac to fully secure personal information, such as, a list of critical passwords I needed to secure, the ability to send safe, secure and encrypted email attachments to family as needed and be able to travel with a few secured folders on my USB2 Flash drive. Having made the transition to a Mac about 4 years ago, I initially used both the built-in zip/compression utility that Mac OS X has plus a few "freeware" utilities that pretty much do the same thing, that being compress and uncompress folders and files. I'm quite familiar with older versions of WinZip for Windows, as I routinely used them in the past.