Kindle Skills - Zip Files

June 30, 2010 Cindy O'Neal

Lots of great books come in zipped files, files with a .zip extension. The .zip file format is a way to compress one (or many) files so they are quicker to download or send via email as one attached file instead of many. That's fine, but you can't just drag a .zip file over to the Documents folder of your Kindle and expect it to know what it is. 

Think of a .zip file as a glorified folder that has other files compressed inside it. You have to open that folder (decompress the files inside) in order to get to the good stuff. Once you do, you can then drag the final (unzipped) book files to the Documents folder of your Kindle.

Windows Computer:

Double click a .zip file and it will open in a new window with the files inside listed. Drag the file (or files) outside of the "zip folder" window and drop them on your Desktop (any blank area on your main screen). This action will cause the files to "unzip" or be "decompressed" during the process. What you will have on the desktop will be the "ready to use" file. If it is a book file for your Kindle (.txt, .mobi, .prc or .azw), this is what you can drag to the Documents folder on your Kindle.

Mac Computer:

I'm not sure how all Macs will handle a .zip file, but on my MacBook Pro with SnowLeopard, double clicking on a .zip file causes whatever files are in it to be "unzipped" or "decompressed" and placed in a nice neat folder with the same name. At that point, you can trash the actual .zip file. You don't need it any more. Open the folder and any or all files inside are ready to use or (if they are book files for your Kindle) dragged to the Documents folder on your Kindle.

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