| Developer | 7-Zip.org |
| License | Freeware |
| Size | 1.12 MB |
| Download | Free Download |
Download 7-Zip Latest Version for Windows & Alternative for Mac – 7-Zip is a free utility program which helps you extract compressed files. You can also create your very own compressed files with this in several different formats. If you are looking for a hassle-free way to send large quantities of information easily and open compressed files you receive then this tool is worth trying! Read on to learn more about this free file extractor program.
How 7-Zip Works
This program works based on open source. It works with Windows Shell which means you’ll see a menu option that enables you to unzip a file with this tool when you right-click a zip file. It’s compatible with Windows 7, 8, 10, XP, Vista as well as Linux that you can operate through the command line. Even though Windows also comes with its own built-in compression tool but we can’t deny that its functions are fairly limited. Windows is only capable of reading and creating ZIP files and if there are any damaged archives, you won’t be able to do anything to repair them. 7-Zip is able to create 7Z-format archives with a .7z file extension. However, for Mac OS, you can install Keka which has similar features with 7-Zip. And for additional info, Keka is recommended directly by 7-Zip
You’ll be surprised by the fact that this tool is very easy to use. Furthermore, you might also find it very convenient that this program also supports encryption for one of its features is that it has the ability to password-protect ZIP and 7Z archive formats with 256-bit AES encryption. Windows, on the other hand, has an issue with security because instead of encrypting the file, the built-in compression tool will decrypt a formerly encrypted file.
7-Zip Features
This tool was developed by the Free Software Foundation and under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public Licence, everyone can freely share 7-zip with others. Many people have found this product to be really impressive for its capabilities. For starters, this free tool supports encryption and integrates with Windows Explorer. Here’s what this tool is capable of:
- Ability to compress to GZIP, TAR, 7Z, ZIP, XZ, WIM, BZIP2
- Ability to extract from 001 (002, etc.), BZ2, ARJ, 7Z, BZIP2, CHM, CAB, CPIO, CHW, DEB, CRAMFS, DOC, DMG, LHA, ISO, ZIP, Z, ZIPX, TAR, SWM, PPT, LZMA GZIP, GZ, FAT, EXE, NTFS, RPM, RAR, SQUASHFS, XAR, TBZ, TAZ, TBZ2, MBR, MSI, LZMA, LZH, XZ, TGZ, VDMX, VDI, ZO1 (ZO2, etc.), HFS, QCOW2, VHD
- Ability to support both a command line interface and a graphical user interface
- Ability to build self-extracting executable archives and has the self-extracting ability for 7z format
Note that, for GZIP and ZIP formats, 7-Zip offers a compression ratio that’s 2 to 10% better than the ratio offered by WinZip and PKZip.
7-Zip Pros and Cons
Pros:
- The tool integrates with the Windows Explorer context menu
- It doesn’t require any registration beforehand to get it running. Add to that the setup doesn’t even try to install extra software.
- It supports encryption when creating new archives. It also offers a very strong AES-256 encryption in ZIP and 7z formats
- It works in a commercial setting
Cons:
- Unfortunately, the tool is not portable and it seems like the developer doesn’t plan on releasing the portable version of this program anytime soon.
Conclusion
7-Zip comes with advanced capabilities and yet is straightforward enough that even novice users won’t encounter any problem accessing its basic features. Therefore, this is a great alternative to WinZip or another similar compression tool.