An archive file is a file with the "archive" file attribute enabled. This simply means that it is marked as a file that should be backed up or archived.
75 What is an archive file?
Most files that we encounter in normal computer use have the archiving feature enabled. Think of the image you downloaded from your digital camera, the PDF file you just downloaded… these are all typical files.
When someone says that an archive file has been created, it does not mean that the contents of the file have been changed or that the file has been converted to another format called archive.
What this means instead is that the archive attribute is turned on when a file is created or modified, which is usually done automatically by the program that creates or modifies the file. This also means that moving a file from one folder to another will turn on the archive attribute because the file is actually created in the new folder.
