Sending archives
Send the ZIP, or stop making one
A large archive transfers fine. It is also worth asking why you are making one, because the reason is usually a limitation FileFast does not have.
A clearer transfer
Fast to send. Simple to receive.
Archives transfer normally
A ZIP is a file. Send one up to your plan limit, with password and expiry like any other transfer.
Or send the folder
Pick the folder and the paths come with it. Nothing to compress, nothing to extract.
Nothing is re-compressed
FileFast does not re-encode what you upload, so an archive arrives byte for byte.
Worth knowing
What zipping does and does not buy you
It rarely saves much space
Photos, video and audio are already compressed. Zipping a folder of JPEGs and MP4s typically saves a percent or two, for a step at both ends.
It does keep structure, and so do we
The usual reason to zip is to preserve folders through a tool that flattens them. FileFast keeps folder structure, so that reason does not apply here.
Split archives are the real trap
Multi-part archives arrive out of order, one part gets filtered by a mail server, and the recipient needs the right software and all the parts. One transfer avoids the whole thing.
Corrupt archives fail all at once
A damaged ZIP often refuses to open at all rather than losing one file. Sending the folder means a problem with one file is a problem with one file.
Password-protected archives are awkward on phones
Encrypted ZIPs need software the recipient may not have on a phone. A password on the transfer is a field in a browser instead.
An honest word about archives
Zipping solves one problem at your end and creates another at theirs
You compress once. They download, find an archive rather than the work, extract it somewhere, and hunt for what they needed. On a phone that sequence often just fails.
Quick answers
Before you send
The essentials, without another wall of feature cards.
Does FileFast unzip archives?
No. An archive is stored and delivered as the file you uploaded.
Should I zip before sending?
Usually not. If you are zipping only to keep folders together, send the folder instead.
Can I password protect the transfer?
Yes, on the transfer itself, which is simpler for the recipient than an encrypted archive.
Is there a size limit for a ZIP?
The same limit as any file: 5GB per transfer on free, 300GB on Plus.
Do you scan inside archives?
Known-threat scanning runs before a transfer is released. Archives are handled as files and are not repackaged.
Is RAR or 7z supported?
Yes. Any format transfers, because nothing is opened or converted on the way through.
Try it with the next thing you have to send
Choose the files, share one link, and see what happens after it lands.
Send a ZIP fileKeep reading
