Value When Reviewed

Mac App Retailer: $4.99 (provides in-app purchases); Direct from developer: Donationware

Greatest Costs Right this moment

Way back, we compressed, sliced, and diced giant doc recordsdata and functions, caught them on sequence of 1.44MB floppies, and handed them round. When bulletin board programs and the nascent web allow us to add recordsdata, the low speeds and scarce storage meant each bit—not simply byte—counted. We reside in trendy instances, however file archives for group, correct transmission with out loss, compression, and encryption nonetheless abound for individuals who use desktop computer systems and server programs. Electronic mail provides infinite methods to damage file attachments in transmission, and compressed file archives sometimes bypass these issues.

Keka is an ideal accomplice for any Mac proprietor’s wants for file archiving and extraction. First launched in 2009, the app continues to mature, and the developer provides codecs and extra options on a relentless drumbeat. Keka additionally manages the neat trick of getting a deeply technical function, and but being usable with out particular coaching. These with particular necessities in creating archives can dial in simply what they need; those that obtain a file or archive and are attempting to extract it right into a usable format have to know nearly nothing to proceed besides learn how to drag and drop or double-click.

Drag recordsdata or teams of recordsdata onto Keka’s Dock icon. and it builds a file archive (if obligatory), then compresses the file into your default format. It prompts for added choices that require intervention, like choosing a file identify and vacation spot. You can even grant permission to a Finder extension to invoke Keka from the Finder by way of a right-click. Choose a number of recordsdata and right-click to decide on Keka > Compress to or Keka > Compress to Right here: the primary choice helps you to choose a vacation spot; the second leaves the ensuing file archive in the identical folder because the sources objects.

You should utilize Keka to extract recordsdata or directories in 31 codecs and create them in 14. Why asymmetrical? Some codecs, like Microsoft’s .exe binary executable format, can include file archives that Keka can entry, however the app isn’t designed to create the mandatory wrapper to provide a file in that format. Nevertheless, Keka can create archives in Apple’s mountable disk-image format, DMG, and within the broadly supported ISO disk picture format.

Keka has a characteristic that at one time was completely obligatory, as I discussed earlier, however can nonetheless be useful at the moment: you possibly can set it to interrupt archives into chunks of a particular dimension. This requires utilizing a supporting format, however a number of enable this, comparable to ZIP, bzip2, and gzip. Even with the velocity and storage of the trendy web, you should still balk at requiring individuals obtain a monolithic 50GB archive and like to supply 50 numbered downloads of 1GB every. Conversely, Keka can assemble sequentially numbered archive segments created utilizing normal strategies.

The one lacking piece from Keka is providing a immediate for a password when compressing in a file format that helps it, like ZIP. As a substitute, create a brand new compression doc by way of File > New, enter and confirm a password, after which compress the file or recordsdata.

Keka requires a separate app to set it because the default software for archive extraction and file decompression.

Keka is free when downloaded instantly from the developer’s web site and $4.99 by way of the Mac App Retailer. The App Retailer payment and direct donations made by way of the web site help the app’s ongoing growth. The web site maintains variations for obtain which might be suitable relationship again to MacOS X 10.4.

If you happen to want extra choices than Apple’s default ZIP compression and growth device, routinely work with quite a lot of codecs, or sometimes want the oddball growth of an archive you’ve by no means seen earlier than, Keka neatly fills all these wants.

That is Keka’s first look as a Mac Gem.

Mac Gems highlights nice nuggets of Mac software program, apps which have a excessive utility, have a pointy concentrate on a restricted set of issues to unravel, and are typically developed by a person or small firm. With the sturdy resurgence of the Mac lately, we need to have a good time instruments we use and that readers suggest to take advantage of your macOS expertise. Keep tuned for weekly updates, and ship your ideas to the Mac Gems Twitter feed (@macgems).