Of course, there’s also the default extension of this application, which is called 7z. It includes formats like RAR, ZIP, TAR, GZ, LZH, LZA, ARJ, and ISO. The tool will support most of the main archives and file types currently out there. You can then use it in two different ways: you can open the app and use the main window from there, or use it by right-clicking on the files you want to use it with. One of the main reasons why 7-Zip is such a viable tool for most users is that it offers wide support for many different formats.įirstly, installing the app is a quick procedure, and it should not take you a lot of time. If you’re looking for a good extraction and compression tool, then you should check it out. It offers superior compression ratios and leaves your files largely intact, allowing you to keep your files’ integrity while also saving a lot of space. It’s an easy to use application that allows you to compress and unpack archives quickly. That’s why many archiving and compression programs have been developed in the last few years, but 7-Zip is still one of the best ones. It helps you store larger files and convert them into smaller files temporarily so that you can unpack them later on and use them again – and save a lot of space at the same time.
In addition to this, the 7z compression format ratio is up to 70% better than the zip compression can provide.Īrchiving files is an easy way of preserving space. Whereas the highest compression ratio is ensured with 7z format, results are depended upon the data type being archived. Classed as an undoubtedly versatile data archiving utility, 7-Zip is available as either a 32-bit or 64-bit download.7-Zip is an Open Source compression tool that works best with 7z format archives.
Indeed, this popular file shrinker seamlessly works naturally with its own 7z format, plus it can pack and unpack files that have been created with the TAR and ZIP compression format.
User-friendly by design, first-time customers quickly get to grips with the layout and functions of the software, so this program is well-suited for non-computer savvy types, which represents a real advantage considering all of the code manipulation going on beneath the surface. Quite the opposite, in fact, for this file archiver avoids messy workflows and keeps its interface clean. This feature alone makes the program a tempting proposition, especially when hard drive space is limited or an ISP allows only small attachments on emails.Ī comprehensive feature set does make 7-Zip a leader among its peers, and this level of finite control is achieved without making the program top-heavy.
The software supports other compression types as well as its own 7Z format, but the homespun format does incorporate a file reducing engine that boasts a significantly higher compression ratio than some other compression standards in this class. It's from this main window that all currently active and archived data files are manipulated.
Reminiscent of Windows Explorer or an Internet browser, this approach yields fast results due to its intuitive design. On still holding a light to the main window, the interface uses a traditional layout, one that places commonly used tools on an upper menu strip and lists files within a large main window.
With this fact in mind, the copying, moving, and deletion of an archive is easily accomplished. The main features include compression, extraction, archive splitting, testing of compressed files, encryption, and many of the file management tools modern computer users take for granted.
Next, the user interface is gratifyingly uncluttered, yet every feature lies only a single mouse click away. It's also free to use and comprehensively supported by an open source community.
The 7-Zip downloader is as compact as one of the archives it creates, so the software downloads rapidly. Additionally, the size-reducing utility uses its own proprietary 7z compression format, one that can be used to build self-extracting archives. Above and beyond this primary feature, the software also manages archived data and encrypts each archive, so security is assured by a 256 bit AES algorithm when this facility is selected. Created originally to simply compress data files, the 7-Zip file archiving utility still efficiently shrinks files in size, but the program has evolved somewhat over the years.