> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.zkcompression.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create Compressed Token Accounts

> Short guide to compressed token account creation with ZK Compression on Solana and difference to regular token accounts.

Compressed token accounts store ownership information for compressed tokens like regular token accounts with two core differences. Compressed Tokens

* do not require an <Tooltip tip="An associated token account is a token account with an address that's a Program Derived Address (PDA) created by the Associated Token Program. You can think of an associated token account as the default token account for a user to hold units of a specific token (mint).">Associated Token Accounts (ATAs)</Tooltip>, and
* do not require a rent-exempt balance.

Compressed token accounts are created in the following scenarios:

1. `mintTo()` creates compressed token accounts for recipients.

<Card href="/compressed-tokens/guides/mint-compressed-tokens">How to Mint Compressed Tokens</Card>

2. `transfer()` consumes existing accounts of the sender as input, and creates new compressed token accounts with updated balances as output for the sender and recipient(s).

<Card href="/compressed-tokens/guides/transfer-compressed-tokens">Transfer Compressed Tokens</Card>