---
title: Zip files
description: Compress multiple files into a ZIP archive with optional encryption.
category: File Operations
tags: [zip, archive, compress, encrypt, file management]
---

# Zip files

## Description

The **Zip File** activity compresses multiple files into a single ZIP archive. This is useful for bundling multiple files together before sending via email, uploading to cloud storage, or archiving.

You can specify the files to include using wildcard patterns (e.g., `*` for all files, `report_*.csv` for specific files) and optionally encrypt the ZIP file using a password.

> **Use Case**:  
> After generating multiple reports (e.g., department-wise Excel files), use this activity to compress them into a single archive before uploading to Google Drive, emailing, or storing in FTP/S3.

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## Input

| Input Type | Format  | Description                           |
| ---------- | ------- | ------------------------------------- |
| **Files**  | File(s) | Files received from the previous step |

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## Output

| Output Type | Format | Description            |
| ----------- | ------ | ---------------------- |
| **File**    | ZIP    | Compressed ZIP archive |

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## Configuration Fields

| Field Name             | Description                                                                                       | Required |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------- |
| **Password**           | Optional password to encrypt the ZIP file. Leave blank if no encryption is required.              | No       |
| **Input File Pattern** | Wildcard pattern to specify which files to include. <br>Examples: `*` (all), `*.csv`, `report_*`. | Yes      |
| **File Name**          | The desired name of the resulting ZIP file. Should include `.zip` extension.                      | Yes      |

> **Wildcard Support**:
>
> - `*` – Match all files
> - `*.csv` – Match all CSV files
> - `data_*.xlsx` – Match files that begin with `data_` and end with `.xlsx`

> **Encryption Note**:  
> Encrypted ZIP files require users to provide the password during extraction. Ensure password sharing is done securely.

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## Sample Input

_Not Applicable_

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## Sample Configuration

| Field              | Value                |
| ------------------ | -------------------- |
| File Name          | `ProjectReports.zip` |
| Input File Pattern | `*.xlsx`             |
| Password           | `secure123`          |

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## Sample Output

| File Name          | Size   | Download        |
| ------------------ | ------ | --------------- |
| ProjectReports.zip | 4.2 MB | [Download Link] |

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