Microsoft announced that Windows 11 22H2 now natively supports nearly a dozen additional file formats, including RAR, 7-Zip, Tar, and GZ archives.
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The company added support for 11 new archive file formats with this month's optional KB5031455 update. The updated list of supported file types in Windows 11 now adds .rar, .7z, .tar, .tar.gz, .tar.bz2, .tar.zst, .tar.xz, .tgz, .tbz2, .tzst, and .txz, although support for password-protected is not yet available.
When asked for more details about support for missing password-protected files, a Microsoft spokesperson said the company has nothing else to share at this time.
According to the company, it added the new archive files with the help of the open source libarchive, suggesting that we'll likely see other formats like LZH, LZH, and XAR.
Because KB5031455 is an optional update, Windows users must install it manually by opening the Settings app , going to Windows Update , and clicking ' Check for updates '. Users will then be prompted to install the update by clicking the ' Download and install ' link.
This new feature will be available to all Windows 11 users via cumulative updates scheduled to be released with November's Patch Tuesday.
At its Build 2023 conference , the company announced that Windows 11 will support additional file formats, according to an article in May that introduced the new Windows Dev Home control center
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“We’ve added native support for additional file formats, including tar, 7-Zip, RAR, gz, and many more using the open source libarchive project,” said Panos Panay, former Microsoft Product Manager. “Now you can enjoy improved archive performance when compressing in Windows.”
File formats such as ZIP, 7-Zip, and RAR are used extensively on systems , with ZIP being the most widespread choice.
However, while Windows has had built-in support for ZIP files since 1998, third-party applications such as 7-Zip (.7z), RAR (.rar), or gz (.gz) files required third-party applications such as 7-Zip and WinRAR. The .gz file format is commonly associated with Linux through the GNU Zip (gzip) tool. However, it is expected to become much more useful for Windows users with the growing popularity of the Windows Subsystem for Linux.
Today's optional update also enabled all the new features of Moment Version 4, bringing 72 new features to Windows 11. Among them are a revamped File Explorer, a new Backup app, a built-in Password Manager, and the AI-powered Copilot for Windows.
See also: Windows 11 KB5031354: Released with new features
Windows 11 handles file compression and decompression using NTFS (New Technology File System). NTFS is the primary file system used by Windows and provides file compression and decompression capabilities. This means you can compress files to save space on your hard drive and decompress files when you need to access them.
Compressing files in Windows 11 can be done in a number of ways. You can choose to compress a single file or an entire folder, depending on your needs. You can also choose the level of compression you want to use, depending on the balance between reducing file size and compression speed.
To unzip files in Windows 11, simply open the compressed file or folder and select the 'Unzip All' option from the menu. The system will automatically unzip the files and place them in their original location. You can also choose to unzip only certain files from the compressed file, depending on your needs.
Source: bleepingcomputer
