Microsoft steps up its Windows 11 file management game – get ready to say goodbye to WinRAR and &-Zip
If you’ve ever downloaded a 7-Zip file or RAR file (archive file formats that allow users to compress files into more portable, smaller sizes), you’ll probably find yourself needing or doing something with an additional program or app. Windows 11, but that’s about to change. Microsoft has announced native (as in, built-in) support for 7-Zip file and RAR file formats in Windows 11 22H2.
According to BleepingComputerMicrosoft has stated that Windows 11 22H2 can now support nearly a dozen archive file formats that were previously not possible without a third-party app or program, such as RAR, 7-Zip, Tar and GZ archives.
This update is part of the October optional cumulative update KB5031455 Preview. This means that for this new file archiving option you need to go to Institutionsthen to Windows Updateand select ‘Check for updates’. Once your device has found the new optional update, click the ‘Download and install’ knob.
That means that Windows 11 will soon support all of the following archive file types: .rar, .7z, .tar, .tar.gz, .tar.bz2, .tar.zst, .tar.xz, .tgz, .tbz2, .tzst, and . txz. Password-encrypted files are not included in this update, but that is coming soon. BleepingComputer asked Microsoft about the lack of support for password-protected archive support, but Microsoft had nothing to share at this time.
This development was first announced during the Build 2023 conference back in a May blog post describing Microsoft’s new Dev Home Windows control center.
Microsoft has reportedly signed on the open-source libarchive project, a library of file archive and file compression formats. Apparently, this open source project also allows users to enable support for the LZH and XAR file formats, so we could see internal Windows 11 support for this as well. If you’re familiar with the .gz archive file format, you’re probably a Linux user familiar with the GNU Zip Utility (gzip). This new Windows support for this file format will be useful for those using the Windows subsystem for Linux.
How to increase Windows 11’s file capabilities
Again, if you want this new feature for Windows 11 right now, you’ll have to install it manually. Otherwise, you can wait until November’s Patch Tuesday, when there is a scheduled cumulative update for Windows 11. Either way, you get all the new Moment 4 update features, including a whopping seventy-two new features for Windows 11, like a revamped File Explorer, a revamped Backup app, a new Passkey Manager, and the shiny jewel of the update, Windows Copilot . .
This is a welcome update, especially since the ZIP, 7-Zip and RAR archive formats are widely used by users of Windows systems past and present. Since 1998, Windows has had native system support for ZIP archive files, and it’s good to see 7-Zip (.7z), RAR (.rar), and gz (.gz) files getting support in Windows 11, which should ensuring that using these files is much easier – and means you don’t need to install any additional applications.