To compress files and folders with NTFS on Windows 11, follow these steps:

  1. Open File Explorer.
  2. Open the folder to store the files with compression.
  3. Click the New button and select the Folder option. Quick tip: You can use the Ctrl + Shift + N keyboard shortcut to create a new folder faster.
Create New Folder
Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. Type a name for the folder and press Enter.
  2. Right-click the newly created folder and select the Properties option.
Open Folder Properties
Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. Click on the General tab.
  2. Click the Advanced button.
Advaned Folder Properties
Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. Under the "Compress or Encrypt attributes" section, check the Compress contents to save disk space option.
Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
  1. Click the OK button.
  2. Click the Apply button.
  3. Select the Apply changes to this folder, subfolders, and files option (if applicable).
  4. Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, compression will enable inside the folder, reducing the size of existing and future files in this location. You can also use the steps to compress a single file.

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