“I downloaded a Zip Folder and now what do I do?”
Have you ever asked yourself (or me) this question?
First of all, what is a zip file and why is it used?
A “zip” folder is basically a method for sending large sets of files at one time over the internet. The “zip” process compresses large files into a size that can be sent to someone else all at one time. Without a “zip” compressed folder, large files would have to be sent individually in several emails, making the process of receiving files a messy and disorganized experience (no one wants 30 emails to get 45 high-resolution photos, for example). The convenience of receiving all your “zipped up” files at one time means you now have the process of then having to unzip or extract the files in order to use them on the MLS. Extracting your files is as easy as dragging the files from the Zipped folder to a new folder on your desktop. Here are the more detailed steps below:
- The first step for both a Windows machine or a Mac is to download the zip folder from MVL or WeTransfer. Save the file to your Downloads folder.
- Go to the folder with the zipped file (your Downloads folder).
- Option 1: To unzip the entire folder, right-click (or press and hold) it, select Extract All, and then follow the instructions OR Right-click the file and choose “Open with WinZip or 7-Zip” (Depends on your machine which option shows upon Right-click).
Option 2: To unzip a single file or folder, double-click the zipped folder to open it. Then, drag or copy the selected item(s) from the zipped folder to a new location. - Select a destination for the folder to be extracted into. Then once it’s saved or moved, you can start using your real estate photos for your upload to the MLS listing. It’s that easy!
* If you are not seeing a program to unzip, then it is possible that your machine does not have an Unzip Program. You will need to install an Unzip Program here. 
Find “Compression” and check “7-Zip” program to download a clean version of this program.
