PeaZip is a free file extractor program for Windows, Linux, and macOS that supports a massive 200+ archive formats. It can schedule archives, create self-extracting archives, convert between various formats, and can even be used as a portable program without installation.

PeaZip Formats

Below is the full list of files PeaZip can open, followed by all the formats that it can compress files to (i.e., archive files that it can make).

  • Extracts from a huge variety of archive formats.

  • A portable version is available.

  • Option to create self-extracting archives.

  • Integrates with Task Scheduler for scheduled archive creation.

  • Supports two-step verification on new archives for greater security.

  • Free for any use: personal, professional, business, or government.

  • Setup can be confusing with all the advanced options.

Extract From

7Z, ACE, APK, APM, ARJ, BALZ, BCM, BR, BZ, BZ2, BZIP2, CAB, CHI, CHM, CHQ, CHW, CPIO, DEB, DLL, DMG, DOC, DOCX, DOT, DOTX, EAR, EXE, FAT, FLV, GNM, GZ, GZIP, HFS, HXI, HXQ, HXR, HXS, HXW, ISO, JAR, KMZ, LHA, LIT, LPAQ1, LPAQ5, LPAQ8, LZH, LZMA, LZMA86, MBR, MSI, MSLZ, MSP, NTFS, ODB, ODF, ODG, ODM, ODP, ODS, ODT, OTG, OTH, OTP, OTS, OTT, OXT, PAK, PAQ8F, PAQ8JD, PAQ8L, PAQ8O, PART1, PET, PK3, PK4, POT, PPS, PPT, PUP, QUAD, R01, RAR, RPM, SLP, SMZIP, SPLIT, SWF, SWM, SYS, TAR, TAZ, TBZ, TBZ2, TGZ, TPZ, TPZ, TXZ, TZ, TZST, U3P, UDF, VHD, WAR, WIM, XAR, XLS, XLSX, XLT, XLTX, XPI, XZ, Z, Z01, ZIP, ZIPX, ZPAQ, ZST

Compress To

7Z, ARC, BR, BZ2, GZ, PEA, BCM, EXE, 001, TAR, WIM, XZ, ZIP, ZST, ZPAQ

PeaZip can guess how an archive is to be opened, so it’s possible there are other file formats not listed above that will work, too. This is in vast difference to many other file unpacking software that can only support a few of the popular formats.

There’s also a “Custom” option that lets you define the file extension yourself.

PeaZip Security Options

You can create password-protected archives with 256-bit AES encryption for several of the output formats, including 7Z, ZIP, ARC, and PEA.

When creating a new archive, a keyfile can be used alongside a password to create a two-step verification. This requires both the password and the keyfile before the archive can be opened, which greatly increases security.

Also related to security in a way, is the ability to securely delete files, and even free space (files you’ve already deleted). This option is on the start page of the program.

Other PeaZip Features

Here are some more notable features:

  • Store you passwords in the built-in password manager, complete with a random password generator that picks a strong password for you.
  • Update the files in an existing archive.
  • Convert an archive format into a different one.
  • Use PeaZip from the right-click context menu to do things like convert, email, extract, and test archives.
  • Tabbed browsing helps keep things organized.
  • Supports several cryptographic hash functions, like MD5, SHA256, and Whirlpool512.
  • Quickly run web searches based on the name of any file on your computer.
  • Create an archive that’s split up into different sizes so that they fit nicely on everything from a floppy disk to a Blu-ray.
  • Set advanced archiving and extraction options.
  • If you’re sending an archive over email, PeaZip lets you do so from inside the program by automatically adding the compressed file to a new email as an attachment.
  • It can securely erase files using the Random Data or Write Zero data sanitization method.
  • The scheduling function makes it extremely easy to schedule file archives via Windows Task Scheduler any day of the week. You can back up files to another attached drive, for example, and have PeaZip compress it on the fly to save disk space.

Final Thoughts on PeaZip

PeaZip is one of the best file unzipper programs out there. It’s packed with tons of features and supports a tremendous list of formats.

The sheer number of supported unpacking formats alone should already have you installing PeaZip, but the extra features and settings it brings along really do show just how great of a program it is.

PeaZip is based off 7-Zip. See our 7-Zip review for more on that program.

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