


The amount a particular file can be reduced depends largely on its contents for instance, most image formats contain redundant data which makes them ideal candidates for lossy compression algorithms while text documents usually don’t benefit as much since they tend to contain random characters rather than recurring patterns. Lossless compression instead works by finding patterns in data and replacing them with shorter sequences without sacrificing any information, meaning that if necessary, it’s possible to restore an exact replica of the original content from its compressed version. Lossy compression involves sacrificing some accuracy when reducing the size of a file and results in permanent changes to it which means that once applied, this type of compression cannot be reversed or undone (or at least not reversibly). The compressed version of a file ends up taking much less storage space than an uncompressed one would need.Ĭompression software typically comes in two types – lossy and lossless. For example, if there are lots of repeated words or phrases in a text document, then these repetitive strings can be replaced with shorter markers and removed from the file data.

When you compress a file, the program takes out unnecessary parts that can be discarded without affecting the quality of what remains. By compressing a file, you can send it more quickly over the internet and save disk space for other files. This is accomplished by removing redundancies within the data, making it possible to store more information in less space. File compression software is a type of program designed to reduce the size of files so they take up less space on your computer hard drive.
