# Adding to Archives

There are a number of ways to add files to an archive using Opus.

* You can [create a new archive](adding_to_archives) (if needed - you can also add to existing archives), then open it as if it were a folder and copy or paste files into it as normal.
* You can drag and drop files over the top of the archive to add them to it (again, this is treating the archive as if it were a folder).
* You can use the **Archive Files** command on the toolbar (or the variant commands within the drop-down attached to this button).
* You can right-click on the files you want to add and use the context menu (if enabled) to add them to a new or an existing archive.

Using the context menu **Add to Archive** command, or selecting the **Archive Files** command from the toolbar, displays the [Add to Archive dialog](add_to_archive_dialog).

### Archive context menu

The easiest way to access this functionality is via the context menu. In the [Archive Context Menu](../../preferences/preferences_categories/zip_and_other_archives/archive_context_menu) page in Preferences you can turn on or off context menu commands for adding files to various archive formats. These commands will be shown whenever you right-click on one or more files and folders.

### Add to named archive

These commands will add the selected files and folders immediately to a new archive. The new archive will be located in the same folder as the source files, and it will be given the same name as the first selected file.

![](https://3597805814-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F3XSZSwWow0fDf6fQJobd%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-922a764c4406e433897d43e4ab1808e7b7a61336%2Fadd_to_archive_-_menu.png?alt=media)

For example, if you right-click a file called _Presentation.doc_ the context menu might contain a command called **Add To "Presentation.7z"** - selecting this command would create a new 7zip archive called _Presentation.7z_ and add the selected file to it.

The [Preferences](../../preferences/preferences_categories/zip_and_other_archives/archive_context_menu) page lets you choose which formats an _Add to Named Archive_ command will be displayed for.

### Add to archive

These commands will also add the selected files and folders toÂ a new archive, but instead of immediately creating the archive you will be given a choice of filename andÂ path, archive type, and various parameters specific to the archive format chosen.

![](https://3597805814-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F3XSZSwWow0fDf6fQJobd%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-206600104136625bb4cf3ea4189859318db965aa%2Farchive_context_-_add_menu.png?alt=media)

The [Preferences](../../preferences/preferences_categories/zip_and_other_archives/archive_context_menu) page also lets you choose which formats to add these commands for although this selecting say _Add To Archive (RAR)_ only sets _RAR_ as the initially chosen format; the _Add to Archive_ dialog lets you change the selected format.
