Windows 11 to Expand Native Support for Archive Types: Discussion on the Use of ZIP, RAR, and 7Z

Windows 11 will soon expand the native support of archive types, especially RAR and 7Z. This complements ZIP, which the operating system has been able to unpack and package since the late 90s. Some then stop installing standalone archiving tools, while others have given up on them a long time ago.

It is also possible to combine both solutions. What solution do you use and why? Do you still encounter archives at all? Break down the similarities in the discussion.

Marek of Luton

Again

I’m using the Zip plugin in the dual-window Altap Salamander file manager. But no longer for the original purpose, to reduce the size of files. There is enough space. However, archiving comes in handy when I need to encrypt something and have the contents of the archive available only after entering a password. Actually, I can’t think of any other way to achieve this without having to go with some proprietary solution that wouldn’t be easily portable. I open the encrypted ZIP everywhere.

Vladislav Kluska

Yes

What is it? But seriously, all kidding aside – what is it and why should I use it? 🙂 I hardly ever use zipped folders (I have no reason to), and if I do, Windows will do just fine with ZIP. Alternatively, I have 7-Zip, which I turn on occasionally. But it’s always to unpack something. I haven’t created my own archive in a long, long time.

Jiří Kuruc

I understood the use of WinRAR in the days when it mattered whether the archive with documents would be 1.6 or 1.3 MB, so that it would fit on a 3.5″ diskette. Besides, I still remember tests of archiving programs in Computer. Since that but many years have passed since then.

In the past, when I received RAR from some geek frozen in the nineties every now and then, instead of installing another program, I simply used an online service to unzip it, safety hazard.

And just as I wouldn’t allow myself to order a cappuccino after lunch in Italy, because I believe that for such individuals every cafe has a loaded magnifying glass hidden under the bar, so today I wouldn’t allow myself to send someone a RAR. And what is that? Will Windows 11 offer native support? It’s not harmful, but I would like to close this retro window for those who remember.

Karel Kilian

Yes

I remember the days when I had several applications on my computer for compressing and decompressing archives. I mainly remember ARJ, ZIP and RAR. However, that was still a time when I interacted with my computer through the command line and Windows started with a command win.

For some inexplicable reason, I never liked the official WinZIP application, so I didn’t have it on my computer. On the contrary, I used WinRAR quite often, among other things, because it could “chop” large files to fit on floppy disks, and it was possible to create self-extracting archives in it.

I stopped using standalone applications around the time Windows came out with native support for ZIP archives. Total Commander handled the other formats without any problems, so since then I don’t have any other programs for working with archives in WinRAR.

Jakub Cizek

Yes

Why like? To be fair, I used RAR some fifteen or more years ago for only one reason. To be able to connect the fifty damaged pieces downloaded first from DC and later from RapidShar. In 2023, as a normal mortal, all I need is a completely standard ZIP embedded in Windows Explorer, which I very sporadically use as a Linux TAR (for example, as a trunk for files in an e-mail attachment and regardless of the compression level).

I don’t really care if some other algorithm has a 3% better compression ratio or a sexier extension. I was interested in that in the era of small platter drives and dial-up connections, but not today when I’m connected to the internet at USB 2.0 speeds and refuse to own a computer that doesn’t have at least a 1TB SSD.

Markéta Batulková Mikešová

Again

I can’t say that I use them regularly, but I reach for them here and there. On Windows it’s always WinRAR, on MacOS it’s always 7ZIP.

Lukas Václavík

Again

WinRAR hasn’t for a long time. It used to be an indispensable helper in the prehistoric age of piracy (and of course I used it without paying for the full version), but today it doesn’t make much sense to me. RAR may be a good and efficient compression format, but with fast internet I don’t care about a saved megabyte and the compression speed doesn’t matter much to me either. I use ZIP everywhere because I know everyone everywhere will open it without having to install anything.

Due to the fact that sometimes other types of archives reach me, but I have been using 7-Zip (plus Total Commander) on Windows for a long time, and Keku on macOS. But I don’t pack in exotic formats myself. By the way, I also use both programs to create ZIPs, although the operating systems can also do it. More force of habit than any practical advantage.

Petr Urban

Again

Although I think that the era of WinRAR or WinZip is a hundred years behind us and I don’t understand why anyone uses these programs, but to each his own taste. I still install compression tools myself, but I see that there are more and more cases of people leaving without them. I myself generally install significantly fewer programs compared to ten or fifteen years ago.

After Windows 11 introduces wider archive support to Explorer, compression programs on many computers will have it sealed. We’ll see if that’s the case with me. I probably won’t bother installing on Windows test machines. It will probably be different on the main machines.

In practice, I often not only unpack archives, but also create them. I compress various work files (mainly podcast ones), where the speed of compression or decompression plays a role for larger volumes. I pack in 7Z format if it results in a smaller file. So we’ll see how the Explorer does. I’ve used 7-Zip on my computers for years, it’s simple and ad-free.

I’ve been friends with Bandizip for the past few years, it still provides greater comfort. E.g. adds a command to the context menu to unzip and then delete the archive. It used to be two manual steps for me. Apart from speed and similar tricks to speed up work, I would prefer a compression program.