Is 3rd-party file-archiving software still necessary as Windows has it built-in?

Several 3rd-party file-archiving compression and decompression software are available, such as WinZip, WinRAR, 7-Zip, and PeaZip.

However, (Windows 10, which supports only ZIP files), and especially Windows 11 already have a built-in file-archiving function that can compress and decompress various file-archiving file formats.

There are several advanced file-archiving functions that 3rd-party file-archiving software already has that Windows 10 and 11 do NOT yet have.

And hence, my question is as follows: Is 3rd-party file-archiving software still necessary as Windows has it built-in?

Thank you very much in advance!

The answer is always:  "It depends."

Do you need the features of the third party programs?  If not, why bother?  If you do, then the question answered itself.

I'd argue very few people actually need the advanced features, or really care about the tradeoffs in performance/compression ratios, and even less so about the software license.  The choice of what file extension is on the tail end of a file name is more down to the l33tess-cool-factor (the politics of appearing to be an iconoclast) than anything else.  That's been the case since the early days of personal computing when all the cool kids were using .zip... er... .arc ... .arj er... .rar ... .7z?  (when everyone just knows the new hotness is now zstd. ) ... seriously though, for the most common purposes the built-in zip feature in Windows is fine.

Edited by h_b_s, 08 July 2024 - 02:36 PM.

Agree with Dan...7 Zip will do everything a normal user needs, including creating self-extraction file,  and do it well.

I would really like to apologize for mentioning the four alternative file-archiving software without emphasizing that WinZip and WinRAR are commercial software, whereas 7-Zip and PeaZip are free software, which created unnecessary confusion.

I purchased the one-time paid lifetime license edition of WinRAR on February 17, 2006, which for the time being was on version 3.51, it was delivered on a CD by postal mail, and I still have it lying on my computer desk, along with some other software on CDs.

There is an affixed squared label with rounded corners on the bottom top of the squared CD paper and transparent plastic window cover with the following printed phrase: "Check CD for WinRAR keyfile [SIC], great products [SIC] and big savings!"

My real-world name is printed underneath the first phrase, and IIRC, I chose WinRAR because my dad (80, but soon 81) already bought an identical license. But I do NOT know why he selected WinRAR, although maybe it was recommended in a computer magazine.

However, I am just a home user and am NOT in any way affiliated with WinRAR. Upon reading about the four alternative file-archiving software, I realized there is NO particular reason for acquiring such paid software when such free software is available.

I appreciate your insightful replies that point out essential details about the various paid and free file-archiving software and that one should prefer using the built-in file-archiving function in Windows 10 and 11 or free file-archiving software, but this is up to the user.

I recently experienced a file and folder text issue when opening a specific ZIP file in WinRAR. As such, I created a new topic in this forum with the following title: Why is the text usually black, but blue in one specific ZIP file within WinRAR?

TL;DR: Upon troubleshooting, I successfully disabled the "Show Encrypted or Compressed NTFS Files in Colors" setting, one of WinRAR's advanced functions. As such, I managed to resolve my issue above, and I would like to thank you!

7-zip always compresses and decompresses quicker for me than the standard Windows built-in function, so I always use it.

I use 7 Zip and it has password protection features if that is wanted, plus browse and other handy features.

And it handles all types of archives that Windows can't understand.

Thank you, 0lds0d!