7-Zip is a free file extractor program compatible with Windows 11 and earlier, as well as Linux and macOS via the command line. It creates archives with the 7Z file extension and offers a range of features, including integration with Windows Shell, encryption capabilities, and the ability to repair damaged archives and password protect them.

While Windows does have a built-in compression tool, it’s limited to reading and creating ZIP files. 7-Zip is a useful alternative for those who need additional compression and extraction capabilities.

It’s licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License and can be freely shared and distributed. Ukrainian freelance programmer Igor Pavlov owns the 7-Zip Copyright (C) and released the beta version in January 1999.

7-Zip Features

Here are some other features worth mentioning:

  • Can be used in a commercial environment.

  • Supports both a graphical user interface and a command-line interface.

  • One-click installer; setup doesn’t try to install extra software.

  • Long list of language support.

  • Favorite folders for easy access.

  • No portable option available from the developer.

  • Integrates with the File Explorer context menuAssociate the program with any file extension of your choosing to make opening files easierSupports encryption when creating new archivesCan build self-extracting executable archivesCan calculate checksums from the context menuFor ZIP and GZIP formats, 7-Zip provides a compression ratio that is 2-10 percent better than the ratio provided by PKZip and WinZipStrong AES-256 encryption in 7z and ZIP formatsSelf-extracting capability for 7z formatSupports dozens of languages

Compatible Formats

These are the file extensions 7-Zip supports:

Packing & Unpacking

7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP, WIM

Unpacking Only

APFS, AR, ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, CramFS, DMG, EXT, FAT, GPT, HFS, IHEX, ISO, LZH, LZMA, MBR, MSI, NSIS, NTFS, QCOW2, RAR, RPM, SquashFS, UDF, UEFI, VDI, VHD, VHDX, VMDK, XAR, Z

Security Options

Can password-protect 7Z and ZIP archive formats with 256-bit AES encryption.

7-Zip Review

7-Zip is a user-friendly decompression software program that allows users to easily extract and create archives, even though it doesn’t support as many file formats as PeaZip. It integrates seamlessly with the Windows Shell, making it straightforward to extract archives by right-clicking them.

The program also includes a built-in file browser that can locate and extract archives, and allows users to test the integrity of an archive. Since the file browser is basically the same as File Explorer, you can also choose to use the Windows Shell integration to create and extract archive files rather than having to open the full program. Using Explorer can speed up the decompression process.

While the official 7-Zip website doesn’t include a portable setup, you can grab one at PortableApps.com.

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