When it comes to unarchiving files (or unzipping them as it’s more commonly called), Windows 11 has the ability to do so for a number of compressed file formats. But Microsoft is also improving Windows for archiving files. Recent changes have not only brought the ability to compress files to formats other than ZIP, but also an advanced ‘Create Archive’ dialog to give users additional archiving options. Here’s everything you need to know to archive and compress files on Windows 11 without third-party tools.
How to Zip/Unzip a File or Folder in Windows 11 [Tutorial]
In Q4 2023, Windows gained the ability to natively create 7z and TAR archives (in addition to the already existing ZIP). And now, a recent update for Canary builds 26040 brings a new ‘Create Archive’ dialog where users can choose additional compression options. Here’s how all of these methods work:
Compressing or archiving files from the Folder context menu is still the fastest method. Here's how to use it:
The Create Archive window is a new addition to Windows (only on Canary builds for now). Here's how to use it:
