7-Zip
The small, free archiver that opens practically every archive format and compresses better than ZIP.
These buttons open the developer's own site, repository or store listing in a new tab. wares.gg does not host downloads.
5 more ways to get 7-Zip
Other download sites
Run by third parties, not by Igor Pavlov. Prefer the official page above when it works.
Package managers
- winget
winget install --id 7zip.7zip - Chocolatey
choco install 7zip
About 7-Zip
7-Zip packs and unpacks 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP and WIM, and opens a long list of formats read-only, including RAR, ISO, MSI, CAB, DMG, APFS, NTFS and the innards of many installers. Its own 7z format with LZMA and LZMA2 gives a high compression ratio.
It is a 1.6 MB download on Windows with shell integration and no bundled extras, and the author states plainly that you can use it on any computer, including in a commercial organisation, without registering or paying. Console builds exist for Linux and macOS.
Strengths
- High compression ratio in the 7z format with LZMA and LZMA2
- Packs 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP and WIM and unpacks dozens more, including RAR, ISO, MSI and DMG
- Free for commercial use with no registration, stated on the project site
- Tiny download with Windows Explorer integration and no bundled software
Limitations
- The Linux and macOS builds are console versions; there is no official graphical app on those platforms
- The Windows interface has not changed much in twenty years
- Parts of the code carry the unRAR licence restriction, which limits reuse of the RAR decoder
Details
- Pricing
- Free · Free software with open source. The site states you can use 7-Zip on any computer, including in a commercial organisation, without registering or paying.
- License
- LGPL-2.1
- Developer
- Igor Pavlov
- Platforms
- Windows, Linux, macOS, Command line
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Opening and creating archives on Windows
- Categories
- Archive and compression tools
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Selected from the TechWalrus downloads catalog (Compression); facts checked against the developer's own pages, 4 sources on file.
7-Zip as an alternative
Listings that name 7-Zip as an alternative.
PeaZip
A cross-platform archive manager that reads over two hundred formats and has a real file manager built in.
Same open source compression engines with a graphical file manager, encryption and format conversion on top, and native builds for macOS and Linux rather than console tools.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
PeaZip
A cross-platform archive manager that reads over two hundred formats and has a real file manager built in.