Microsoft has announced that its 2022 version of the Windows 11 operating system now supports approximately ten additional archive file formats, including RAR, 7-Zip, Tar, and GZ.
With the latest optional cumulative update KB5031455, Windows 11 now supports eleven archive file formats.
The updated list of supported archive file types includes .rar, .7z, .tar, .tar.gz, .tar.bz2, .tar.zst, .tar.xz, .tgz, .tbz2, .tzst, and .txz. However, the operating system doesn’t yet support password-protected encrypted files.
When asked for more details regarding support for password-protected archive files, a Microsoft spokesperson mentioned that Microsoft has nothing further to announce at this time. Microsoft indicated that they added these new archive file formats with the help of the open-source libarchive project. This suggests that additional file formats, like LZH and XAR, may be supported in the future.
Since KB5031455 is an optional update, Windows 11 users need to manually install it by opening the Settings app, going to Windows Update, and clicking “Check for Updates.” After that, users will be prompted to install the update by clicking the “Download and Install” link.
This new feature will be available to all Windows 11 users with the upcoming cumulative update during the next Patch Tuesday in mid-November.
Microsoft first announced that Windows 11 would support additional archive file formats during the Build 2023 developer conference in May.
Archive file formats such as ZIP, 7-Zip, and RAR are widely used in Windows systems, with ZIP being the most commonly used option.
While Microsoft began integrating ZIP file support into Windows back in 1998, third-party applications like 7-Zip and WinRAR were required to handle archived files in formats like .7z, .rar, and .gz.
It’s worth noting that the new optional update also enables all the features of the recent major update called “Moment 4,” which introduced 72 new features to the Windows 11 operating system, including an updated File Explorer, a new backup application, an integrated password manager, and the AI program Copilot.
