A free, open source file compressor

While most of us tend to go with .zip format when compressing files before sending them by mail or uploading them to a web platform, there are actually other formats that we should consider. We’re talking 7z, thanks to 7-Zip, you can quickly and easily compress and decompress to 7z; no need to register with any email accounts of pay a dime.

What’s compressing and decompressing all about?

Compressing a file is means simply to change its format (to something like 7-zip) to reduce its weight and size, without losing any info. This allows us to easily email them and also merge several files into one folder. Decompressing is simply the reverse process that allows us to access and read those files, or modify them in their original state.

Files compression ratios

7-Zip compresses your files more than any other program on the market (to between 2 and 100% for  zip files and 30-70% for 7z files). And it's completely free too.

Which .zip files does it support?

The list of compatible files is extensive and includes:

• For compression and decompression: 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP and WIM
• Decompression only: 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, VMDK, WIM, XAR and Z.

In terms of design, 7-Zip is nothing special, and doesn’t include any guides to help you learn how to use it. That said, it’s still a worthy file compression and decompression program for the sheer number of formats it supports.

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