Quickly Compressing and Extracting RAR, ZIP Files on Windows 11

By default, Windows 11 does not support any options or tools for compressing and extracting RAR files. Therefore, the only way to compress and extract RAR, ZIP files on Windows 11 is to use third-party software, specifically WinRAR or 7-Zip.

Read more: How to Install Windows 11

Guide to Compressing and Extracting Files on Windows 11

1. Compressing and Extracting RAR, ZIP Files on Windows 11

7-Zip is a free software that supports safe and efficient compression and extraction of RAR, ZIP files. To compress and extract RAR, ZIP files on Windows 11 using 7-Zip, follow the steps below:

Step 1: First, download and install 7-Zip on your computer.
=> Download link for 7-Zip is available here.

Step 2: To open and extract RAR, ZIP files on Windows 11, press Windows + S and type 7-Zip File Manager into the Search box. From the search results list, click to open the application.

Step 3: Next, in the 7-Zip File Manager window, navigate to the location where the RAR, ZIP file you want to extract is saved. Alternatively, you can enter the file's save path in the address bar at the top of the window and press Enter.

Step 4: To open and view the contents of a RAR file, simply double-click on the file in the 7-Zip window.

On the screen, you'll see a list of files as shown below:

Step 5: Next, to extract the RAR file, on the toolbar of the software window, you locate and click on File =>Extract.

Step 6: On the next window, in the Extract to section, you check the path containing the extracted file. To change the path, locate and click on the 3-dot icon next to it. After completion, click OK to start the extraction process.

Once the extraction process is complete, navigate to the previously chosen location/path to open the file.

2. Setting up 7-Zip as the default option to open RAR, ZIP files

Additionally, if desired, you can set 7-Zip as the default option for opening RAR, ZIP files by following these steps:

Step 1: Double-click on the RAR, ZIP file you want to extract, then select More apps.

Step 2: In the window that appears, check the box next to the option Always use this app to open RAR files.

Step 3: Next, click on Look for another app on this PC.

Step 4: Navigate to the 7-Zip installation folder. By default, this folder is located at:

C:\Program Files\7-Zip

Step 5: Here, locate and double-click on 7zFM to select and open the file.

This article by Mytour just guided you on how to compress and extract RAR, ZIP files on Windows 11. Besides 7-Zip, you can download WinRAR for Windows 11 to compress large files on your computer.

Read more: How to compress and extract files using WinRAR