How to zip large files on your Windows 11 PC (and whether third-party tools are necessary)

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Zipping files enables users to organize their files more efficiently and expedite sharing. 
• Windows 11's native tools enable users to compress multiple files and folders without additional software.
• There are also third-party options with unique and useful features.

Compressing files into a ZIP folder is a great way to bring order to your digital life. By bundling everything together into a small archive, you free up storage while keeping related content together. You can even safely delete the original, since a copy is preserved. 

ZIP folders also make sharing large files much faster. Instead of waiting minutes for multi-gig downloads or uploads, compression cuts down on those transfer times to a fraction of what they'd be otherwise.

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