7-Zip is a free file extractor compatible with Windows 11 and earlier, and with Linux and macOS via the command line. It can create archives with the 7Z file extension, and offers a variety of features, including useful Windows integration, encryption capabilities, and the ability to repair corrupted archives and protect them with a password.

Windows does have a built-in compression tool, but it is limited to reading and creating ZIP files. 7-Zip is a handy alternative for those who need additional compression and extraction capabilities.

It is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License and may be freely shared and distributed. Ukrainian freelance programmer Igor Pavlov owns 7-Zip Copyright (C) and released the beta version in January 1999.

This program is my all-time favorite file unzipper. After years of using it, here are some other features I find worth mentioning: