Microsoft has integrated the open-source libarchive library into Windows 11, allowing users to natively extract and create various archive formats without needing third-party software like WinRAR or 7-Zip.

Key Points

• Windows 11 now natively supports extracting and creating formats including .7z, .tar, .tar.gz, .tar.bz2, .tar.xz, and .tar.zst.
• The new functionality is powered by the open-source libarchive project, which processes files as a stream to improve performance and reduce memory usage.
• Users can access these features directly in File Explorer by right-clicking files and selecting "Extract All" or "Compress to."
• Native tools currently lack support for password-protected archives, AES-256 encryption, and multi-volume splitting.
• Microsoft cannot add native RAR creation support due to ongoing licensing restrictions held by RARLAB.

Why it Matters

This update reduces the security risks and system bloat associated with installing third-party file management utilities for the average user. While power users requiring advanced encryption or complex archive management may still prefer dedicated software, the native integration simplifies basic file handling for the broader Windows ecosystem.