ZIP File Documentation

Overview

Feature Value
File Format ZIP (Zipped File)
MIME Type application/zip
Compression Method Multiple algorithms (e.g., Deflate, BZip2, LZMA)
File Extension .zip
Maximum File Size 4 GB for traditional ZIP, up to 16 EiB for ZIP64
Maximum Number of Files in Archive 4,294,967,295 (2^32−1) for ZIP64
Encryption Optional, includes support for AES encryption
File Spanning Supported
Password Protection Supported
Folder Storage Supports storing of folders and file hierarchies
Platform Independent Yes
Digital Signature Supports digital signatures for verifying integrity
Checksum CRC-32 checksum for file integrity verification
Unicode File Names Supported
File Comment Each file can have its own comment
Compression Levels Multiple levels typically supported by software
Archive Splitting Supported
Open Format Yes
Data Recovery Records Some ZIP tools support adding recovery records
Standardization Information technology — File format — Part 1: Core (ISO/IEC 21320-1:2015)