Software

Delete Zip Files in OS X Automatically After Unzipped

Delete Zip Files in OS X Automatically After UnzippedIf you’re anything like me, the built-in Archive Utility in Mac OS X is a tool for everyday use. It does automatically unzip files for you but it also has its quirks to—like how it leaves the original zip archive even after it unzips the file for you. You can tweak its preferences to change this and a few other things.

Yes, the Archive Utility has settings! Most of us don’t realize this because it is usually only open long enough to unzip a file. If you open the utility directly, you can change the settings just like any other app. It is a little hidden, so you’ll have to navigate to /System/Library/CoreServices/Archive Utility to find it. Once you have it open, you can open its preferences from the menu bar as usual.

Now, you can check the box that says “Move Archive to the Trash” to delete a zip file automatically when you extract it in the Finder. You can also change the default directory to extract them to, or move a set of files to the trash when you zip them. You would think this is an obvious setting, but with the way the Archive Utility runs you would never know.