cdUsers
copy /B imagefilename.jpg+ZIParchivename.zip newfilename.jpg
You will need to replace the filename in the example command above with the actual name. The command will not work if your filename includes spaces. So, make sure the ZIP archive or image file name does not have spaces. The 3 files in the example command above are:
Now, let's check the newly created image file in the same directory. Double-clicking that file will open it in your default image viewer. It doesn't look like a ZIP file, but you can still access the merged ZIP file from the image.
To access the file hidden in that image, download and install the freely available 7-Zip software, one of the best file decompression tools for Windows.
Navigate to the folder containing the new image file using the copy /B command created in 7-Zip. Double-clicking that image file will open the ZIP file you merged. You can then access all the content in the ZIP file by double-clicking on it in 7-Zip.
Or you can extract content from the file with 7-Zip by selecting the image file and clicking Extract . Click the ellipse button to select the folder containing the extracted files. Then click OK to proceed with decompression.
If you prefer a more automated way to hide ZIP files in image files, consider Image Steganography software. Image Steganography is free software for Windows 11/10 that allows you to embed ZIP files into images without entering any commands. Here's how you can hide ZIPs in images using Image Steganography software:
1. Open the Image Steganography page on Software.
2. Download and double-click the Image Steganography Setup.exe file to display the installer window.
3. Select Yes when prompted to start Image Steganography.
Open the folder containing the ZIP archive and image files you want to merge. Remember that both files must be in the same folder like the first method.
Drag and drop the image file from its folder into the Image box in the software to select it. Now that you're ready, proceed as follows:
1. Click the File button.
2. Then drag and drop the ZIP file from the folder into the file box.
3. Click the Choose button for the output image.
4. Select a folder to save the output file. Enter a name for the new image file and click Save .
5. Make sure the Embed and Encode steganography mode options are selected.
6. Click the Start button in Image Steganography.
If an error message appears saying 'image too small', you need to choose a larger image file. The image file must be larger than the ZIP archive you want to merge. Additionally, select the Pre-Scale Image check box .
Your new image output file will be in whatever folder you chose to save it in. The ZIP file is embedded, but you'll only see the image in whatever software it's opened in.
Hidden files will not be accessible in 7-Zip when created with Image Steganography software. To access the embedded ZIP file again, you will need to decode the hidden image file using stenography software. Here's how you can decrypt an image file that contains embedded ZIP:
1. Click on the Decode stenography mode option .
2. Drag and drop the image file to be decoded into the Image box inside the software.
3. Click the Choose button to select the folder location to include the ZIP file and click OK.
4. Click the Start button of Image Stenography to decode the image file.
5. Finally click OK on the completed dialog box.
The folder location you selected will now include the hidden ZIP file within the image file. You can access all the content in that file by extracting it using one of the methods in TipsMake.com's guide to extracting ZIP files.