7-Zip

7-Zip is a file archiver with a high compression ratio. It supports packing and unpacking of various archive formats, including its own 7z format.

Features

• High compression ratio
• Packing and unpacking of 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2, TAR, and WIM formats
• Unpacking of ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, CramFS, DEB, DMG, FAT, HFS, ISO, LZH, LZMA, MBR, MSI, NSIS, NTFS, RAR, RPM, SquashFS, UDF, VHD, WIM, XAR, and Z formats
• Support for AES-256 encryption in 7z and ZIP formats
• Integration with Windows Shell
• Command line version for batch processing

Usage

Graphical User Interface

The graphical user interface of 7-Zip is straightforward and easy to use. To create a new archive, simply select the files and/or folders you want to pack and click the "Add" button. You can choose the archive format and compression level, as well as set a password for encryption.

To extract files from an archive, simply double-click on it or right-click and select "Extract Here". You can also choose to extract to a specific folder or create a new folder for the extracted files.

Command Line

7-Zip also comes with a command-line version, which is useful for batch processing or automating tasks. Here are some examples of how to use it:

To compress a file or folder:

7z a archive.7z file.txt

To compress with maximum compression level:

7z a -mx9 archive.7z file.txt

To extract all files from an archive:

7z e archive.7z

To extract a specific file from an archive:

7z e archive.7z file.txt

Conclusion

7-Zip is a powerful and versatile file archiver with a high compression ratio. Its integration with Windows Shell and command line version make it a favorite among programmers and power users. Its support for various archive formats and AES-256 encryption make it a reliable solution for file compression and encryption.