7-Zip

7-Zip — Free Download. File archiver

7-Zip is a file archiver delivering a high compression ratio. The program supports packing and unpacking of 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP, and WIM formats. Unpacking extends to APFS, 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, VHDX, VMDK, XAR, and Z. The tool integrates with Windows Shell and includes a file manager with command line support.

★★★★★
5.0(1 ratings)
Download 7-Zip (Official links)
File size: 3.98 MB
The latest version of 7-Zip is: 26.02
Operating system: Windows
Languages: English, Spanish
Developer: Igor Pavlov
Price: $0.00 USD (Open Source (LGPL-2.1))
  • AES-256 encryption. 7-Zip secures archives using the AES-256 standard in both 7z and ZIP containers. This cipher encrypts file contents and header metadata depending on user selection, preventing unauthorized viewing of stored data. A password supplied at compression time is required for extraction. The implementation relies on a key derivation function with configurable iteration counts for dictionary attacks resistance.
  • LZMA2 compression. The 7z format employs the LZMA2 algorithm, an extension of LZMA designed for multithreaded processing. LZMA2 splits data into independent chunks so multiple CPU cores compress different segments simultaneously. The dictionary size is adjustable from 64 KB to 4 GB, allowing tuning for large RAM configurations or low-memory environments.
  • Self-extracting archives. The program can generate executable modules for the 7z format. A self-extracting archive contains a small loader stub that unpacks payload data without requiring 7-Zip installed on the target system. Users can specify extraction path, silent mode parameters, and post-extraction command execution during creation of the executable.
  • Windows Shell integration. Context menu entries are registered for common archive operations during installation. Right-clicking a file or folder reveals cascading options for adding to archive, extracting to a specified directory, or testing integrity. The nesting level of menu entries is customizable to reduce clutter for systems with many registered formats.
  • Benchmark function. A built-in benchmark measures compression and decompression throughput across all available CPU cores. The test uses in-memory data and reports results in megabytes per second for each core count. The benchmark provides a relative performance index against a reference Intel Core 2 processor configuration, assisting hardware comparison.
  • Archive testing. Integrity verification reads the entire archive structure and compares CRC or SHA checksums for every file entry. This detects corrupted headers, truncated payloads, and bit rot in long-term storage. A test can run without extracting files and reports individual file failures with precise error codes.
  • File splitting. Archives can be divided into fixed-size volumes specified in bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, or gigabytes. Splitting is available for 7z and ZIP formats. Volume naming follows a sequential pattern, and extraction requires all parts present. This function addresses removable media size limits and email attachment constraints.
  • Command line interface. The 7z executable accepts commands for adding, extracting, updating, listing, testing, and deleting archive contents. Syntax supports wildcards, recursive directory inclusion, exclusion lists, and password passing through environment variables or prompt redirection. Return codes enable integration into batch scripts and automated build pipelines.
  • FAR Manager plugin. A dedicated plugin for FAR Manager offers archiving operations within the orthodox file manager interface. Users can browse archive contents as virtual file systems, copy files into or out of archives without manual extraction, and update existing entries. The plugin loads 7-Zip codecs dynamically, extending FAR Manager beyond its native formats.
  • Archive format conversion. Files can be re-packed between supported formats without intermediate extraction to disk. The program unpacks source data into memory or temporary storage and immediately feeds it into the target codec. Conversion preserves file attributes, timestamps, and directory hierarchy where the destination format permits.
  • Checksum calculation. Hashing tools for CRC32, CRC64, SHA-1, and SHA-256 are accessible from the file manager and command line. Checksums can be generated for individual files or entire directory trees and exported as text lists. Verification against provided checksum files detects unintended modification or incomplete downloads.
  • Language localization. The interface supports 87 languages through resource files loaded at runtime. Localization covers menus, dialog boxes, error messages, and documentation strings. Users select the display language during installation or through the configuration menu without reinstalling the program.

The project began in 1999 under the direction of Igor Pavlov. The first public release introduced the 7z format with the LZMA compression algorithm, which offered higher ratios than contemporary ZIP and RAR implementations. Development continued with the addition of the LZMA2 algorithm in version 9.04, enabling multithreaded compression. The codebase is written primarily in C++ with portions in C for platform-specific low-level routines. The Windows version relies on Win32 API calls, while a POSIX-compatible port handles Linux and macOS systems. Major milestones include self-extracting archive support in 2002, AES-256 encryption in 2003, and the GUI file manager reaching its current layout in version 4.42.