If a .zip file contains all of the information of the original, just in less space, why does it have to be unzipped to access any of it?

Question

If a .zip file contains all of the information of the original, just in less space, why does it have to be unzipped to access any of it?

In: 1276

Answer 1

It doesn’t have to. If the program understands .zip format, it can read the information directly. For example, .docx files (that Microsoft Word produces) are actually .zip files. Microsoft Word can read them without unzipping.

However, most programs do not understand .zip format. So you have to first unzip the files with a program that does.