LONDON – TECH – The archiver is a program that compresses computer files by placing them in an archive file (a folder with .zip or .rar, or .7z file extension). In the process of file compressing, their total size is reduced without any change of file technical characteristics and quality. Apart from file archiving, the program successfully performs the inverse function. It unzips files by extracting them from the archive and restoring to their original state.
For example, you can store much more files on a flash drive if you archive them. Also, that program is very necessary when it comes to moving files to the archive. You can set a password for access to the archived files, which means that it is only you knowing the password who can open the files. In this post, we will talk about the main features of .7Z files and how to open 7z files.
Characteristics of .7Z Format
The .7Z extension features a new archiving format that provides a high compression ratio.
The main features of the format are the following ones:
- Open architecture;
- High ratio of the compression;
- Strong encryption (AES-256);
- Ability to apply any method of compression, conversion, or encryption for the file;
- Compliant with very large files;
- Unicode filename support;
- Continuous archive creation;
- Header compression archive.
How to Open .7Z Files?
If you suddenly get a file with .7z extension, do not feel frustrated with this file type. It is an ordinary compressed archive. If you wonder how to open the file, you can try to open it with WinRar archiver. The success depends on the version of the 7-zip archiver, which was used to pack the file and the version of Winrar. But it’s better to use 7-zip. Of course, you can open these files with any other popular archiver programs. It’s enough just to use these as the default programs for this type of files. Simply right-click to open the context menu and select one of the options from the list: open in 7-zip, select to this folder, or select to a specific folder. Alternatively, you can simply drag and drop files from this window (archive) to free space in the previously opened window.
Benefits of 7-Zip Archiver
7-Zip is a file archiver with a high “ability” to compress/ open any data. This archiver offers a variety of compression algorithms, as well as high variability of data formats, including its own format – .7Z. The program is distributed free of charge and can be downloaded on the computer with any OS.
Other Programs to Open .7Z Files
One can use a wide variety of programs to open .7Z archives. Depending on your OS, you can use the following options:
- Windows: 7-Zip, Smith Micro StuffIt Deluxe 2010, WinRAR, Corel WinZip 15 Pro, WinInizio ZipGenius, ConeXware PowerArchiver, ALZip, ZipZag.
- Mac OS: Smith Micro StuffIt Deluxe 2011, Corel WinZip Mac Edition, Dare to be Creative Archiver, Sixty Five 7zX, The Unarchiver, p7zip, EZ7z, sArchiver, ALZip for Mac.
- Linux: p7zip, Xarchiver.
- Cross-platform software: PeaZip, Zipeg.
The list can be extended since many programs are regularly released on the market.