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Level 1

6 points

Don't want zip files as attachments

Sometimes a document such as Word or Excel will appear as a zip in my message when I attach it. I do not want to send a zip file. How can I stop Apple from converting it? I have an iBook G4 with Tiger. Yahoo says they are not doing it, problem is caused by Apple. Note: I have the Apple Microsoft conversion program so my documents are fully workable. Usually I can fix the Word or PDF attaching problem by exporting and saving as a different type of file, but this is not an option for Excel.

iBook G4, Mac OS X (10.4.11), Internet is via Qwest

Posted on Apr 4, 2011 6:14 PM

24 replies

douginrrnm Author

Level 1

6 points

Apr 19, 2011 7:19 AM in response to douginrrnm

Sorry, Adam. It was you who made the suggestion about the XLS suffix, not someone else.

BDAqua

Level 10

239,363 points

Apr 19, 2011 10:42 AM in response to douginrrnm

I forget, why can't you attach & send it as a zip file?

douginrrnm Author

Level 1

6 points

Apr 19, 2011 1:11 PM in response to BDAqua

Hi. I don't want zip files. I didn't even know they were going out as zips, till people complained. I even went to the library and tried to open the sent files on the Microsoft computers, cannot do it. I just want them to disappear, like a prompt that says, "Do you want to send this as a Zip file?", to which I would respond, NO. It happens with Word and Excel. Now, though I have the Microsoft conversion software from Apple, my Excel files, which I receive and edit, then send back, turn out to be Numbers files, though the software enables me to manipulate the document. Same thing with Word, which turn into Pages files, and have to export the problem file to make it a PDF.

I just want the whole durn thing to go away.

Apr 22, 2011 11:04 AM in response to douginrrnm

Maybe the problem is worth stating clearly (also for people who will read this thread later):

Mail sends folders (including package/bundle "files" created by some Mac applications) as zip archives. When such zip archives are received by Mail, they automatically show up as the original folders (or package/bundle "files"). This is OK. It's a reasonable way to send the packages. Even if they could be sent in a different way, Windows users who don't have the Mac applications that created these files could not open them.

The actual problem that Doug has is that he had an Excel file, modified it using iWork (the Numbers applications), and now needs to convert it back to Excel before sending. As far as I can tell from http://www.apple.com/iwork/, the current version of iWork can save MS Office files. (I'm not an iWork user.)

Doug, if you have an older version of iWork or you can't save it as an Excel spreadsheet in the current version, I think that you should ask in the iWork (Numbers) forum, where iWork users can help you.

douginrrnm Author

Level 1

6 points

Apr 22, 2011 11:17 AM in response to Adam Nohejl

Adam, thanks for that explanation. Please note that I stated it also happens with Word documents, and not all, just some, and for both Excel and Word (Numbers and Pages in the Apple converted file) converting to a PDF usually solves the problem. My version of iWork is 2008. Is it your feeling that my problem might be solved by purchasing the new version?

Apr 22, 2011 11:45 AM in response to douginrrnm

According to http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Numbers/1.0/en/c10la4.html you should be able to save Excel files even with Numbers from iWork '08. Did you try that? (Similarly with Word and Pages.)

sartaj.r

Level 1

0 points

May 24, 2012 2:15 PM in response to douginrrnm

I have the same issue. I attach a Folder with a collection of docs, pdf, doc etc and when sent through Mail it gets zipped. At the other end the zip file cannot be opened, on a PC. It's rubbish that i can't have a choice in this. The info in the replies are just not helping to solve the problem, just shifting the issue to your files, which is misdirecting the problem, you'll end up chasing yourself with the advice in the replies. I wish someone could give a real solution, instead of going off in a nother direction.

Feb 6, 2017 12:42 AM in response to douginrrnm

When I receive a .zip file, it will not open from Mac mail on my iPad. In one case it showed 5megs as the size, so they were there. Could not open.

sghgirl

Level 1

8 points

Mar 16, 2017 5:30 PM in response to douginrrnm

Hi! you have probably solved this loooooong ago but I was having the same problem and fixed it! Are you all set?

Don't want zip files as attachments