7-Zip Download: Get the Official Free Archiver Safely

The official home of 7-Zip is 7-zip.org, written with a hyphen. Its download page lists every current build, the release date and the file size. At the time of writing the current version is 7-Zip 26.04, released on 5 October 2026. The project also links its SourceForge page for forums and bug reports.

7-Zip is completely free. The official site states that you can use it on any computer, including in a commercial organisation, with no registration and no payment. Most of the code is under the GNU LGPL, with some parts under BSD licences and an unRAR licence restriction for the RAR decoder. If a site asks you to pay for 7-Zip, enter a licence key or run a "7-Zip downloader" first, you are not on the official site.

The download page offers several builds. Most people need the first one.

• 64-bit Windows x64 (.exe): the right choice for almost every modern Windows 11 or Windows 10 PC.
• 32-bit Windows x86 (.exe): only for older 32-bit editions of Windows. Our 32-bit vs 64-bit guide shows how to check which one you have.
• 64-bit Windows ARM64 (.exe): for Windows on ARM laptops, such as those with Snapdragon processors.
• .msi installers: alternative packages mainly for IT departments that deploy software centrally. The 7-Zip site itself recommends the .exe installer over the .msi for normal use.
• Linux and macOS: console (command-line) versions only. There is no official 7-Zip window-based app for Mac.

The official site says 7-Zip works on Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP, plus several Windows Server versions, which makes it one of the few tools still installable on older PCs. On a Mac, a graphical extractor such as The Unarchiver or Keka from our archiver guide is usually more convenient than the console build.

1. Open 7-zip.org by typing the address yourself, then go to Download.
2. Click the Download link next to "64-bit Windows x64" (or the build that matches your PC).
3. Run the downloaded file. The installer is small and simply asks for a destination folder; it does not offer toolbars or extra apps. If you see bundled offers, you downloaded a re-packaged copy, so cancel and start again from the official site.
4. If Windows shows a SmartScreen prompt, check that the file came from 7-zip.org before continuing. Our SmartScreen guide explains what the warning means.
5. Open 7-Zip File Manager once from the Start menu. Under Tools, Options you can choose which file types 7-Zip opens by default.

After installation, 7-Zip adds a menu to File Explorer. On Windows 11 it sits under "Show more options" when you right-click a file.

• Extract an archive: right-click the file, choose 7-Zip, then "Extract Here" or "Extract to folder name". The second option keeps the contents tidy in their own folder.
• Create a ZIP or 7z file: select files, right-click, choose 7-Zip, then "Add to archive". Pick ZIP for maximum compatibility, or 7z for smaller files that the recipient will open with 7-Zip or another compatible tool.
• Password-protect an archive: in the same "Add to archive" window, enter a password under Encryption. The official site lists AES-256 encryption for both 7z and ZIP. With the 7z format you can also tick "Encrypt file names", so nobody can see what is inside without the password.
• Split a large file: use "Split to volumes" to break a big archive into parts, for example to fit an email or upload limit.

If an archive refuses to open or reports a CRC error, the download was probably incomplete. Download it again and compare its checksum; our guides on checksums and the "file is corrupted" error walk through the fix.

The most common comparison is 7-Zip vs WinRAR. 7-Zip is free and open source; WinRAR is commercial software. 7-Zip can extract RAR files, but its own site lists RAR as an "unpacking only" format, so if you must create RAR archives you need WinRAR. For everything else, including ZIP, 7z, TAR and GZIP, 7-Zip covers the job at no cost.

Windows can open ZIP files on its own, and recent Windows 11 updates can open some other archive formats too. 7-Zip still offers more control: compression levels, AES-256 encryption with hidden file names, split volumes, a command-line version for scripts, and support for older Windows versions. For a wider look at formats and alternatives such as PeaZip, see our data compression tool guide.

The genuine 7-Zip is safe, lightweight and widely trusted. The risk comes from imitations: domains that drop the hyphen or use a different ending, search ads that lead to "7-Zip installers" carrying adware, and download portals that wrap the program in their own setup. Keep three habits:

• Always start from 7-zip.org, typed by hand or from a trusted bookmark.
• Compare the file name and approximate size with what the official download page shows.
• Keep 7-Zip updated. Archive tools read files from untrusted sources, so security fixes in new versions matter; check the official site from time to time or before opening archives from strangers.

Be careful with what you extract, too. An archive can hide an executable behind a document-like name, so scan unexpected files first. Our guides on avoiding fake download buttons and scanning downloads for malware cover both habits.