Windows 11 tests native ZIP and 7z file compression tool

HE Windows 11 Allows you to natively compress files in ZIP or 7z format, revealed tipster @PhantomOfEarth on X (formerly Twitter). Originally considered a feature of the next major update, the function is being tested on older versions of Microsoft’s operating system.

“Support for native creation of 7z and TAR archives is moving from Germanium (Windows 11 24H2) to versions 23H2 and 22H2,” the tipster in the demo post said. “[O recurso] “It is available in beta version 22635.3566 and is fully functional but disabled by default,” he continued.

Support for creating 7z and TAR archives natively is supported from Germanium (24H2) to 23H2/22H2 (Nickel). It is available in beta 22635.3566 and is fully functional, but disabled by default.

vivetool /activate /id:49256040 pic.twitter.com/CieGGcmCXd

—PhantomOcean3?? (@PhantomOfEarth) April 27, 2024

on air, the tipster emphasizes that he managed to activate the feature via the Vivetool appA solution available for experimental versions of Windows with the ability to find resources still hidden in the system.

According to website Windows Latest, the function can be accessed from the File Explorer Context Menu. This feature appears in the menu when right-clicking on a folder and offers compression options such as ZIP, 7z, TAR or “Additional options”.

HE Compression time varies with file size As you can see from the screenshots on the website, the process is quite simple. No advanced compression featuresFeatures such as password protection are available for now, and this functionality is expected to come in a future update.

Features in development

Microsoft is also preparing a more robust compressed file creation menu. In Windows 11 Canary in Build 26040, a “Create file” menu was found that offers options such as file format, compression method, compression level and the possibility of preserving symbolic links.

Now, Only test users have access to Windows 11’s native file compressor. However, since the function is available in versions 22H2 and 23H2 of the operating system, there will be no need to wait for the big update of the year to try the feature.