Archiving is the process of combining multiple files and directories (same or different sizes) into one file. On the other hand, compression is the process of reducing the size of a file or directory. Archiving is usually used as part of a system backup or when moving data from one system to another.

What does archiving a file do?

In computing, an archive file is a computer file that is composed of one or more files along with metadata. Archive files are used to collect multiple data files together into a single file for easier portability and storage, or simply to compress files to use less storage space.

Does archiving files save space?

The archive file is not compressed — it uses the same amount of disk space as all the individual files and directories combined. … You can even create an archive file and then compress it to save disk space. Important. An archive file is not compressed, but a compressed file can be an archive file.