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Archives may use a compression algorithm that reduces the total file size. Some archive formats also include encryption to protect an archive's contents from unauthorized users.","contributor":{"@type":"Person","name":"Brian Pickle","url":"https://techterms.com/authors/brian_pickle"},"image":"https://techterms.com/img/md/archive_857.png","url":"https://techterms.com/definition/archive"} </script> </head> <body> <div id="full"> <header id="siteheader"> <div class="content"> <a href="#main" class="visuallyhidden">Skip to main content</a> <a href="/" class="logo"><img src="/svg/logo.svg" width="212" height="24" alt="TechTerms.com"></a> <div class="siteheader-middle"> <div class="searchwrapper collapsed"> <form id="search" class="search" action="/search" method="post"> <div class='autocomplete' role='combobox' aria-expanded='false' aria-owns='autocomplete-results'> <input type="text" id="term" name="term" placeholder="Search (e.g. archive, CPU, GPU, RAM)" aria-label="Search (e.g. psd, docx, exe, jpg, zip)" autocomplete="off" class='autocomplete-input term' aria-autocomplete='both' aria-controls='autocomplete-results'> <button id="searchsubmit" class="searchsubmit"></button> </div> <ul id='autocomplete-results' class='autocomplete-results hidden' aria-label='Search'> </ul> </form> </div> <a href="/random" class="headerbutton random" id="random"><img src="/svg/random.svg" alt="random" width="16" height="16"></a> <button id="searchtoggle"><img src="/svg/search-white.svg" alt="search" width="18" height="18"></button> </div> <div class="siteheader-right"> <button id="menuopen"><img src="/svg/menu.svg" alt="open menu" width="18" height="16"></button> <nav id="sitemenu" class="collapsed"> <button id="menuclose"><img src="/svg/close.svg" alt="close menu" width="14" height="14"></button> <ul> <li><a href="/browse/">Terms</a></li> <li><a href="/quiz/">Quizzes</a></li> <li><a href="/help/">Help Center</a></li> <li class="mobile"><a href="/random">Random Term</a></li> <li class="settings"><button id="settings"><img src="/svg/settings.svg" alt="settings" width="22" height="22"></button> <div class="settingsmenu"> <fieldset> <legend>Theme</legend> <input id="theme-default" value="default" type="radio" name="theme" checked> <label for="theme-default">Light</label> <input id="theme-dark" value="dark" type="radio" name="theme" > <label for="theme-dark">Dark</label> <input id="theme-hc" value="hc" type="radio" name="theme" > <label for="theme-hc">High Contrast</label> </fieldset> <div class="fontsizewrapper"><label for="fontsize">Font Size<input type="range" id="fontsize" name="fontsize" min="14" max="26" step="2" value="20"></label><span class="currentsize">20</span></div> <button id="resetsettings">Reset</button> </div> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> </header> <main> <div class="adTopLB"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589388248615-0'> </div> </div> <div id="main" class="def"> <div id="left"> <div class="card hasheader"> <div class="cardheader"> <div class="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Home</a><svg viewBox="0 0 9 14" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="m0 14 9-7-9-7z"/></svg><a href="/category/software">Software Terms</a><svg viewBox="0 0 9 14" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="m0 14 9-7-9-7z"/></svg>Archive Definition</div> </div> <article> <h1>Archive</h1> <div class="adDefRect"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589302365809-0'> </div> </div> <p>An archive file is a single <a href="/definition/file">file</a> that contains multiple files and/or <a href="/definition/folder">folders</a>. Archives may use a <a href="/definition/file_compression">compression</a> algorithm that reduces the total file size. Some archive formats also include <a href="/definition/encryption">encryption</a> to protect an archive's contents from unauthorized users.</p> <p>Archives are useful for <a href="/definition/backup">backing up</a> multiple files and folders into a single file. They preserve the <a href="/definition/metadata">metadata</a> for files they contain, like a file's created and modified dates. Consolidating a large number of files into one makes them easier to back up and share. For example, you can compress an entire vacation's worth of photos into a single archive, then send it to family members or a backup service. Since everything is in a single file, you don't have to worry about missing any photos. If the archive format supports compression, it will also reduce the total file size of the archive compared to the individual files.</p> <figure class="deffig"> <img src="https://techterms.com/img/xl/archive_857.png" alt="Multiple files compressed into a single archive file" width="550" height="330" class="defimg"> <figcaption class="caption">Multiple files compressed into a single archive file</figcaption> </figure> <p>Most <a href="/definition/operating_system">operating systems</a> include built-in <a href="/definition/utility">utilities</a> that can create and extract archive files. <a href="/definition/windows">Windows</a> Explorer and the macOS <a href="/definition/finder">Finder</a> can create and expand compressed <a href="/definition/zip">ZIP</a> files. <a href="/definition/unix">Unix</a> and <a href="/definition/linux">Linux</a> can create and expand TAR files with or without gzip compression. Third-party archiving utilities like WinRAR and 7-Zip can create other types of archive files using a variety of compression <a href="/definition/algorithm">algorithms</a>. Some archive formats, like RAR, even support splitting an archive into several smaller chunks that can be reassembled later.</p> <p><b>NOTE:</b> Common archive file extensions include <a href="https://fileinfo.com/extension/zip" target="fileinfo">.ZIP</a>, <a href="https://fileinfo.com/extension/tar" target="fileinfo">.TAR</a>, <a href="https://fileinfo.com/extension/7z" target="fileinfo">.7Z</a>, <a href="https://fileinfo.com/extension/rar" target="fileinfo">.RAR</a>, <a href="https://fileinfo.com/extension/tar.gz" target="fileinfo">.TAR.GZ</a>, and <a href="https://fileinfo.com/extension/tgz" target="fileinfo">.TGZ</a>.</p> <div class="adBotLB"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589236206757-0'> </div> </div> <div class="cardfooter"> <div class="upDate"><div class="author">Updated <span class="pdate">April 14, 2023</span> by <a href="/authors/brian_pickle">Brian P.</a></div></div><div id="citations"> <div class="tabs"> <div role="tablist" aria-label="citations"> <button role="tab" 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id="ansButtonA" class="answerButton activeButton" data-answer="Anum" data-date="2022-05-06"><span class="ansLetter">A</span> <div class="answerCell"><span id="answerA" class="quizAnswer">They use indexed colors</span> <div class="answerBar"> <div id="quizBarA" class="quizBar"></div><span id="quizPercA" class="quizperc">0%</span> </div> </div> </div> <div id="ansButtonB" class="answerButton activeButton" data-answer="Bnum" data-date="2022-05-06"><span class="ansLetter">B</span> <div class="answerCell"><span id="answerB" class="quizAnswer">They contain a sequence of frames</span> <div class="answerBar"> <div id="quizBarB" class="quizBar"></div><span id="quizPercB" class="quizperc">0%</span> </div> </div> </div> <div id="ansButtonC" class="answerButton activeButton" data-answer="Cnum" data-date="2022-05-06"><span class="ansLetter">C</span> <div class="answerCell"><span id="answerC" class="quizAnswer">They require less disk space than MPEG videos</span> <div class="answerBar"> <div id="quizBarC" class="quizBar"></div><span id="quizPercC" class="quizperc">0%</span> </div> </div> </div> <div id="ansButtonD" class="answerButton activeButton" data-answer="Dnum" data-date="2022-05-06"><span class="ansLetter">D</span> <div class="answerCell"><span id="answerD" class="quizAnswer">They can loop an unlimited number of times</span> <div class="answerBar"> <div id="quizBarD" class="quizBar"></div><span id="quizPercD" class="quizperc">0%</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="quizResult"><div class="qmsg"> <b class="quizPass">Correct!</b> <b class="quizFail">Incorrect!</b>   <span class="customMessage"></span>  View the <a href="/definition/animated_gif">Animated GIF definition</a>.</div> <a href="/quiz/#morequizzes" class="quizNext btnprimary">More Quizzes →</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="right"> <div class="prevnext"> <a href="architecture"><span class="arrow">‹</span>  <span class="linktext">Architecture</span></a><span> | </span><a href="archive_bit"><span class="linktext">Archive Bit</span>  <span class="arrow">›</span></a></div> <div class="tf card"> <h2 class="heading">Tech Factor</h2> <a href="/help/tech_factor" class="info" title="What is the Tech Factor?">?</a> <a href="/techfactor/6"><span class="factor">6</span><span class="denom"> / 10</span></a></div> <div class="listBox card related"> <h2 class="heading">Related Terms</h2> <div class="rlists"> <ol> <li><a href="/definition/file_compression">File Compression</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/encryption">Encryption</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/zip">Zip</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/utility">Utility</a></li> </ol> <ol start="5"><li><a href="/definition/backup">Backup</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/file">File</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/folder">Folder</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/storagecapacity">Storage Capacity</a></li> </ol> </div> </div> <div class="adRightSky"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589233879778-0'> </div> </div> </div> <div class="techterms card"> <h2 class="heading">The Tech Terms Computer Dictionary</h2> <p>The definition of Archive on this page is an original definition written by the <a href="/authors/">TechTerms.com team</a>. If you would like to reference this page or cite this definition, please use the green citation links above.</p> <p>The goal of TechTerms.com is to explain computer terminology in a way that is easy to understand. We strive for simplicity and accuracy with every definition we publish. 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