{"id":386,"date":"2025-10-30T10:30:05","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T16:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.d5.ca\/?p=386"},"modified":"2026-01-12T15:52:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T22:52:00","slug":"compress-all-subfolders-to-zip-files","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.d5.ca\/?p=386","title":{"rendered":"Compress all Subfolders to Zip Files"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever wanted to compress all the subfolders in a specific folder to individual Zip files? <\/p>\n

There are two Powershell scripts below. To use them, create a shortcut to the script using the following command in the shortcut target: powershell.exe -File “C:\\Path\\To\\ZipSubfolders.ps1”<\/em><\/p>\n

Note! You will need to set your Powershell Execution Policy<\/a> to allow this to work.<\/p>\n

Then drag & drop the desired folder onto the shortcut and all its subfolders will be compressed to individual .zip files named after the folder. Folders that already have a corresponding zip file will be skipped.<\/p>\n

1. Compress using Powershell and Windows Compression<\/h3>\n
# Script to Zip all the subfolders in a particular folder\r\n# Create a Shortcut using the target: powershell.exe -File \"C:\\Path\\To\\ZipSubfolders.ps1\"\r\n\r\nparam (\r\n[string]$parentFolderPath\r\n)\r\n\r\nif (-not $parentFolderPath) {\r\nWrite-Host \"Please drag and drop a folder onto the script.\"\r\nexit\r\n}\r\n\r\nWrite-Host \"Using folder path: $parentFolderPath\"\r\n\r\n# Get all subfolders in the specified folder\r\n$subfolders = Get-ChildItem -Path $parentFolderPath -Directory\r\n\r\nforeach ($subfolder in $subfolders) {\r\n$zipFileName = \"$($subfolder.FullName).zip\"\r\n$subfolderPath = $subfolder.FullName\r\n\r\n# Skip if zip already exists\r\nif (Test-Path $zipFileName) {\r\nWrite-Output \"Zip file already exists: $zipFileName. Skipping...\"\r\ncontinue\r\n}\r\n\r\n# Count files and calculate size before zipping\r\n$files = Get-ChildItem -Path $subfolderPath -File -Recurse\r\n$fileCount = $files.Count\r\n$totalSize = ($files | Measure-Object -Property Length -Sum).Sum\r\n\r\n# Create zip using Windows built-in Compress-Archive\r\nCompress-Archive -Path $subfolderPath -DestinationPath $zipFileName\r\n\r\n# Output summary line\r\nWrite-Output \"Created zip: $zipFileName | Files: $fileCount | Size: $([math]::Round($totalSize \/ 1MB, 2)) MB\"\r\n}\r\n\r\nWrite-Output \"All subfolders have been zipped using Windows Compress-Archive.\"\r\nPause<\/pre>\n
2. Compress using Powershell and 7-zip (Faster)<\/h3>\n
# Script to Zip all the subfolders in a particular folder\r\n# !!! This version depends on 7-zip !!!\r\n# Create a Shortcut using the target: powershell.exe -File \"C:\\Path\\To\\ZipSubfolders.ps1\"\r\n\r\nparam (\r\n[string]$parentFolderPath\r\n)\r\n\r\nif (-not $parentFolderPath) {\r\nWrite-Host \"Please drag and drop a folder onto the script.\"\r\nexit\r\n}\r\n\r\nWrite-Host \"Using folder path: $parentFolderPath\"\r\n\r\n# Get all subfolders in the specified folder\r\n$subfolders = Get-ChildItem -Path $parentFolderPath -Directory\r\n\r\n# Loop through each subfolder and create a zip file using 7-Zip\r\nforeach ($subfolder in $subfolders) {\r\n$zipFileName = \"$($subfolder.FullName).zip\"\r\n$subfolderPath = $subfolder.FullName\r\n\r\n# Check if the zip file already exists\r\nif (Test-Path $zipFileName) {\r\nWrite-Output \"Zip file already exists: $zipFileName. Skipping...\"\r\ncontinue\r\n}\r\n\r\n# Run 7-Zip and capture the output\r\n$output = & \"C:\\Program Files\\7-Zip\\7z.exe\" a $zipFileName $subfolderPath 2>&1\r\n\r\n# Extract relevant information from the output\r\n$filesRead = ($output | Select-String -Pattern \"Files read from disk: (\\d+)\").Matches[0].Groups[1].Value\r\n$archiveSize = ($output | Select-String -Pattern \"Archive size: (\\d+) bytes\").Matches[0].Groups[1].Value\r\n\r\n# Write confirmation to output\r\nWrite-Output \"Created zip file: $zipFileName, Files: $filesRead, Size: $archiveSize bytes\"\r\n}\r\n\r\nWrite-Output \"All subfolders have been zipped using 7-Zip.\"\r\nPause<\/pre>\n
Add to Windows Explorer Context Menu<\/h2>\n
The following registry script will add context menu items for first script. Be sure to set the path appropriately.<\/p>\n
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00\r\n\r\n[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\Directory\\shell\\Zip Subfolders]\r\n@=\"Zip All Subfolders\"\r\n\r\n[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\Directory\\shell\\Zip Subfolders\\command]\r\n@=\"powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File \\\"C:\\\\Path\\\\To\\\\Script\\\\Subfolders_Zip.ps1\\\" -parentFolderPath \\\"%1\\\"\"<\/pre>\n
 <\/p>\n
 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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