A Guide to File Archiving
Why Choose 7-Zip?
- **High Compression Ratio:** 7-Zip's 7z format offers a better compression ratio than standard ZIP formats.
- **File Encryption:** You can protect your archives with strong AES-256 encryption.
- **Free and Open-Source:** It's completely free to use, even for commercial purposes.
A Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Installation
Download the appropriate version of 7-Zip from the official website. The installer is simple and you can accept all the default settings. It will integrate with your right-click context menu automatically.
Step 2: Create an Archive
To create an archive, right-click on the file or folder you want to compress. In the context menu, hover over the "7-Zip" option, and then select "Add to archive..." You can choose the compression format, level, and add a password for encryption.
Step 3: Extract an Archive
To extract files, simply right-click on the compressed file. Hover over the "7-Zip" option and choose from the available options: "Extract Here" will extract the files to the current folder, while "Extract to [Folder Name]" will create a new folder and extract the files there.