Instructions for Downloading ZIP Files

A ZIP file is a container for other files. ZIP files compress their contents, which reduces downloading time.

To download a ZIP file, click on a link to it; this will prompt your browser to ask you if you would like to open or save the file. Select Save. The IE, Safari, and Opera Web browsers will bring up a second dialog box asking you where on your computer you would like to save the file. Choose a convenient location (your desktop is usually good option). The Firefox Web browser will save the file to a default location (usually your desktop). Initiate the download by clicking on Save (IE, Safari, and Opera) or OK (Firefox).

After the download is complete, navigate to the ZIP file on your computer. You should be able to right-click or (if you are using Mac OS X) control-click on the file. At least one of the following options should appear in the menu: Extract, Extract All, Unzip. (Note: If none of those options appears, you may have to download a program that can process ZIP files; many free ones exist.) Select one of the options in the menu and follow the instructions. The procedure should create a new folder with the contents of the ZIP file.