How File Compression Works and When to Use It

File compression is today an important tool in a world of rapidly shared and stored data. If you are emailing an attachment, uploading files to a cloud service, or saving space on your device, file compression makes the entire experience quicker and smoother.

But how does the file compression become reality? And when should you use it?

In this article we will briefly lay out all the essential information you need to know about file compression in layman terms, touch on the types of compression systems we have, and address how you can know when and why file compression is beneficial for you.

📦 What Is File Compression?

File compression means reducing the size of a file in order to allow it to require less space for storage. Compression is what strips away the redundancies in a file using mathematical algorithms — without touching the actual content.

Think of stuffing clothes into a bag. Instead of just throwing them in, you fold them neatly so you can pack more in the same space. The same works for file compression — you compact and better arrange the data so that it can be kept in a smaller space or sent over a lower-bandwidth connection.

Some advantages of file compression are:

✅ Saving storage space

🚀 Faster file transfers

📥 Downloads / uploads faster

🔒 More privacy as our compressed files can be protected with passwords

🔍 How Does File Compression Work

File compression basically hunts for redundancy in data, and proceeds to remove it. Well, when specific patterns or repeated information is identified, they are substituted with denser, smaller codes.

There are mainly two kinds of file compression.

File compression can be classified into two types, lossy and lossless. Each methods has its own specific purpose based on the kind data we have and also if we want to have accuracy time consuming reversal.

📑 1. Lossless Compression

Lossy Compression removes information to save more space. The original file can be perfectly recovered from the decompressed data. Great for accuracy related content like documents, software files and anything that requires an exact interpretation.

Common lossless formats:

• ZIP (zip format, meaning to bundle more than 1 files together)
• RAR (another archive format)
• PNG (for images)
• FLAC (for audio files)

How it works:

• Eliminates unnecessary and duplicated information
• Saves data in a better way
• Enables restoration to perfect shape by means of decompression

Best used for:

• Text documents
• Software applications
• Spreadsheets
• Code files

🎵 2. Lossy Compression

Lossy compression removes some amount of data to reduce the file size but never recovers it. The file is changed a little, but the users generally will not notice the loss.

Such compression is commonly used for multimedia files, where some loss in quality is not an issue if a small file size is produced.

Common lossy formats:

• MP3 (for audio)
• JPEG (for images)
• MP4 (for video)

How it works:

• Eliminates redundant data
• Decrements finer details that aren't to perceived easily
• Gives a slim usable file

Best used for:

• Music and audio files
• Photos and images
• Videos and movies

🏷️ Well-known File Compression Formats

We can use knowledge about file formats to choose the best compression method. Here are a few common formats you might come across as:

When Should You Use File Compression?✅

File compression is not used in all situations but it surely comes in handy in specific situations. When to use it:

📩 1. Sharing Large Files

When sending over email or on a messaging app, you could always benefit from file compression in the case to reduce your attachments sizes. This is handy for platforms that impose size limits on uploads.

💾 2. Saving Storage Space

Decompressing and extracting large files will help you to clear space on your device. Especially great if you are getting short on space, or have a device that is low on storage.

📊 3. Archiving Files

For files you seldom access, compressing them can tidy up your storage and make it work efficiently. If there's old projects, docs, or photos you need to back up, this is a convenient way to do it without taking up too much space.

🔒 4. Protecting Private Data

Most compression tools can encrypt compressed files and add password protection. It helps you to ensure an additional protection while sharing some sensitive and important documents.

📱 5. Speeding Up File Transfers

A zip file is smaller than that of a directory containing the same files, hence zip files are quick in both upload or download. It can be useful when you want to transfer the file over the slow internet or if you want to upload a large size file to the cloud storage.

⚙️ Compressing a File

Making a file smaller is easy, either through built-in tools or dedicated software. To do so on different devices:

🖥️ On Windows

On either the file or folder that you want to compress, right-tap the mouse.

Now choose Send to and select Compressed (zipped) folder.

It will generate into a ZIP file at the same location.

🍏 On MacOS

Locate the file or folder which you wish to compress and right-click on it.

Choose from the dropdown menu "Compress [name of the file]"

Now a zip will be created in the same directory as shown below.

📱 On Android

Step 1: Install a File Compression AppFind and Download a file compressing application, such as RAR or ZArchiver from Google Play Store.

Launch the application and choose the files that you wish to compress.

Select the type of compression (ZIP, RAR, etc.) and click save.

📲 On iOS

Step 1: Open Files app, and find the file you would like to zip.

Then long press the file, and choose Compress.

You will see a ZIP on the same spot.

👉 File Compression Advantages and Disadvantages

But even though file compression has a lot of advantages it still comes with some disadvantages. Here’s a quick comparison:

✅ Pros

Saves storage space

Shortens the time taken to upload and download

Passwords and encryption to protect your files

Facilitates sharing of large files

❌ Cons

These file formats can be quality damaging (lossy compression).

Needs other programs for some formats (e.g. RAR, 7Z)

Working with smaller files will take longer to compress and decompress

💡 Best Practices for File Compression

Lossless compression is also used and is best used for important documents since none data is lost.📁

If there is an image or video file type, consider using lossy compression to reduce the size while retaining most of the quality 😉.

Wednesday — 18 Aug 2023 — 6 min read Encrypt sensitive files before sharing to ensure added security.

⚡ Archive older files on a routine basis to avoid cluttering your storage space.

WinRAR, 7-Zip, System-built features【📥】

📚 Final Thoughts

The Art of File Compression: Saving Space, Speeding Transfers, and Securing Data From knowing how it works to when to use your shortcuts, you can help manage the plethora of digital files you have in cool ways.

And with exploring new file compression possibilities, you can save time and make your digital life all that much easier for when you are archiving old documents, sharing large files, or just clearing up space on your device.

Using the right tools and techniques, compression is an everyday, simple solution for keeping things manageable in your data ecosystem—making space as well as making distribution efficient. 🚀