Guide
Download a gallery on your Mac
Open your gallery link and start the download — on a Mac, the unzipping often happens by itself. No account, no app, no sign-up.
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The whole job in three steps
Open your gallery link
Click the link your photographer sent you. No account, no app, no sign-up — only a password if your photographer set one.
Download the ZIP
Click the download-all or ZIP button on the gallery. In Safari, a downloads button appears in the toolbar next to the address field while the file downloads.
Open the folder in Downloads
Safari usually unzips the file for you, so Downloads often holds a ready-made folder of photos. If you see a ZIP instead, double-click it and your Mac extracts a same-named folder right next to it.
Where the download lands
When you start a download in Safari, a downloads button appears in the toolbar next to the address field. Your files save to your Downloads folder by default. You can open this folder from the Finder sidebar or click the Downloads stack near the right side of your Dock.
You might find a ready-made folder of pictures instead of a ZIP file. That is completely normal. Safari automatically unzips "safe" files after downloading by default. You can control this setting in Safari > Settings > General > "Open 'safe' files after downloading".
If you do have a ZIP
If you downloaded using Chrome or Firefox, or if you turned off Safari's auto-open feature, you will receive a ZIP file. Double-click the ZIP file in Finder. Mac's built-in Archive Utility will extract it into a folder with the same name in the exact same place.
After extraction
Your extracted photos are standard files on your drive. Double-click any photo to view it in Preview or the Photos app. To add them to your library, drag the photos directly into the Photos app. Once you extract your photos, you can safely delete the ZIP file to free up space.
Common questions
Where did my download go?
Look in your Mac's Downloads folder. You can reach it from the Finder sidebar, from the stack near the trash in your Dock, or by clicking the downloads button in the Safari toolbar. If you are using a PC instead, see our guide to downloading a photo gallery on Windows.
I downloaded a ZIP but see a folder instead — what happened?
Safari automatically unzips downloaded archives by default. It extracts the images into a regular folder immediately so you do not have to unpack them yourself. You can turn this off under Safari > Settings > General > "Open 'safe' files after downloading".
I don't see a download-all button — why?
Your photographer chooses the available download options for each gallery. They can offer individual photo downloads, a download-all ZIP of the original photos, or a JPEG ZIP. If you do not see a download-all button, the photographer did not enable that option.
Do I need extra software to open a ZIP on Mac?
No. macOS includes a built-in tool called Archive Utility. Whenever you double-click a ZIP file in Finder, your Mac expands it into a normal folder automatically.
On Windows instead? See downloading a gallery on Windows. Reading this as a photographer? You can deliver your own sets the same way with shoots.page photo delivery.