Win7z

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on August 18, 2011

Most people are familiar with ZIP files, which let users compress one or more files into a smaller format that's easier to store and transport. 7z is a format similar to ZIP that uses a higher compression ratio, shrinking archives to an even smaller size. Win7z is a simple tool that lets you compress files in both the ZIP and 7z formats. It's easy to master and is a good alternative if you find that the ZIP format isn't quite meeting your needs.

The program's interface is attractive and easy to navigate, with menus and well-labeled buttons across the top. If you're used to creating archives with just a click or two, you'll find that Win7z require a little more from you, but it's not hard to figure out. Users simply select whether they want to create a 7z file or a ZIP file, choose a compression level, and adjust several other options. Once we'd set everything up the way we wanted it, Win7z quickly created our new archive and placed it in the specified output location. We used the program to compress a folder that was originally 114KB using both the ZIP and 7z formats; it was 23.5KB as a ZIP file and 11.7KB as a 7z file. Obviously, the 7z format has exciting implications if you regularly work with very large files that take up a lot of space on your hard drive and are painfully slow to share. Win7z comes with a built-in Help file that could have been more thorough, but the program really isn't difficult to use. Overall, we think that 7z is an interesting alternative to ZIP, and Win7z is a great choice if you want to try this format out.

Win7z comes as a ZIP file. It installs a desktop icon without asking and leaves a folder behind upon removal.