Just as a large flow of photographs and videos moves on the network, the presence of files and documents is also notable. Since, Internet users manage different tasks at an academic and professional level, so they require downloading various files which, in most cases, are in large proportions .
It is for this reason that file decompressors are considered extremely essential on any computer, both on a computer and on a mobile phone. In view of that, they allow to open those heavy Internet files that come compressed in order to save space. Which, normally, are ZIP files.
In this sense, it is very important to know the main alternatives on the market to open ZIP files with total simplicity , either on a Windows or Mac computer and even directly from a smartphone thanks to the apps that are available.
Index:
What is a ZIP file and what uses and functions do they fulfill?
Before starting to list the most optimal solutions available to open ZIP files, it is appropriate to highlight what these consist of and what are the main functions they perform. That is why, we define a ZIP as a lossless compression format that is widely used today for compacting data such as documents, programs and images.
In this sense, a ZIP file is considered to be the same as a compressed file class. Which, results after treating a folder or document with a specific program to make that adjustment . Taking into account that, originally, it was designed by PKWARE founder Phil Katz. This, in order to provide a solution to those who wish to download large volumes of data taking up little space on their equipment.
For its part, it is also of great value to detail the functions and / or uses they fulfill , currently, the ZIP files and through it, have a notion about the advantages that can guarantee all users:
- Reduce the space occupied by documents, folders, images or programs on the computer disk or mobile memory. This being its biggest advantage, thanks to the fact that it is possible to enter a remarkable amount of information .
- Even if all the data contained is compacted, the information will not be lost original in any way.
- They have the ability to reduce the weight of information to be able to attach the files to an email, upload them to a web storage space faster and even send them directly from Messenger.
- They allow to compress all your backups , in order to save them in one place.
- From of ZIPs, it is possible to partition a file into several smaller pieces and also allow you to put several files together to compress them into one.
- It is possible to protect all the data using a password . Therefore, only users who provide the password in question can access them, who can also unzip them.
List of the best programs to open and create ZIP files in the Windows or Mac computer
Now, it’s time to start with some of the main and best solutions so that Windows and / or Mac users can open and create ZIP files, as well as run other actions on these very easily:
WinZip
In Windows , this is the most recognized and requested file decompressor software worldwide thanks to its excellent features. Starting because it provides file sharing according to the media, cloud support and different advanced file sharing options.
Apart from that, it also has with full integration with Microsoft Office in order to simplify the compression process. Additionally, it has backup functions that allow users to keep their files completely protected by their excellent encryption. Currently, it has reached version 22 that is not free, but contains an image format converter and an improved user interface.
Download WinZip Windows
Hamster Archiver
This is an ideal solution for Windows users and at the same time for Mac users. Since, it has compatibility with both operating systems and contains a very intuitive interface and carefully designed that, as if that were not enough, supports most formats. Taking into account that, it is a completely free alternative.
For its part, it should be noted that the process to create and extract ZIP files is very simple, because you just have to drag and drop there . Among other details, it should be noted that the software also has support in the cloud and this means that you can load in Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive all the elements you want, apart from having a shared link that is create automatically.
Download WHamster Archiver Windows
7-ZIP
Another of the most recognized alternatives for both operating systems and even, also compatible with GNU / Linux is this software that comes in around 87 languages and presents powerful features when managing ZIP files is , especially since is a free solution .
In addition to this, it stands out for its ability to compress huge files up to 16 billion gigabytes with high compression rates . It also facilitates certain actions such as extracting, compressing and seeing what is inside the file in question with just one click. Apart from that, it is a very safe program and guarantees excellent compression speeds, compared to other options of this type.
Download 7-ZIP Windows
BetterZip
This is a multiformat compressor and decompressor for Mac , which supports more than 15 formats that are commonly used on the network today. In addition to this, BetterZip allows you to easily edit the files contained by the ZIP or by the RAR (it also opens these types of data), since you will not have to extract them outside, when using an external app such as Office or Photoshop.
Among its main advantages, we highlight that it has a unique function as a password manager for encrypted files, making use of the powerful AES-256 algorithm; so you can also protect the content with a master key. In addition, it has the ability to check the status of each of the files and offers complete information about the space occupied by the file , its modification date , etc.
Download BetterZip macOS
PeaZip
This is a software compatible with Microsoft Windows and Linux that is considered one of the best file compression and decompression tools on the desktop, started because it exhibits compatibility with the vast majority of existing formats. In addition to that, enter a new one that is identified as “the Pea file type” .
This type of file is characterized by achieving the actions of archiving, compression and division into volumes of any document with just one pass . Among other details of PeaZip, we highlight that it is an open source program, provides encryption based on the AES-256 protocol and two-factor authentication, has a password manager, exhibits an interface and a browser integrated very clean and simple to use, and also manages to create and extract RAR files .
Download PeaZip Windows
List of the best applications to unzip ZIP documents on Android mobile and iOS
In the case of mobile phones, several alternatives compatible with Android and iOS have also been designed to allow managing this type of ZIP files from any smartphone with great simplicity. Here are five of the most optimal apps to perform procedures such as opening these files, today :
ZArchiver
Free and available in Google Play Store for any Android device , this is an app that facilitates the management of files from a mobile or tablet and with it, allows you to decompress a large number of ZIP files , like create them and view their content without any limitation . Taking into account that, it exhibits extremely remarkable performance.
For its part, it also supports the partial decompression of files, from it you can extract split files, create this kind of data in several parts and even edit them to your liking, either adding any other amount of files or deleting many others . It should be noted that it also allows you to protect the content with a password.
iZip
With a free and paid version (approximately 5 euros), this application can be obtained directly from the Apple Store to manage ZIP files from your iPhone. In which, in addition to opening such files, you can also create them and also has full support to extract formats such as: ISO, DEB, CAB, Split RAR, JAR, RPM, CBZ, among others.
For its part, iZip stands out for allowing files to be opened directly from the cloud services , you can delete more than one file at the same time, it has a “horizontal mode” to facilitate view of the information and contains a very simple user interface to manage.
Rar Zip Tar 7Zip
It is estimated as one of the most versatile apps for Android around the management of ZIP files and others such as RAR, 7Zip, Gzip. Thanks to that, it provides all the necessary tools to compress and decompress them with great ease . Apart from that, it also supports the extraction of files such as, RAR5, GZ, BIN, IMG, APK and ISO.
On the other hand, it offers a complete player of text and image files, such as PDF, DOC, PNG and IMG. One of its biggest advantages is that it keeps all your data protected from the recognized encryption algorithm AES-256 and by placing the password you want, nobody can access your documents, photos or videos. Additionally, allows you to install downloaded APK files .
Zip Viewer
Another of the best alternatives available to open ZIP files on any iOS device that, although it may be much simpler than other solutions, is also considered a good way to view the contents of these files > and even delete individual files in extracted ZIPs , with total ease.
For its part, it should be noted that it offers the option to import documents, folders and all this type of data directly from iCloud Drive and other recognized cloud services such as Box and Dropbox. It is also relevant to note that it provides extremely powerful performance in its user interface.
7Zipper
To finalize this list, we refer to this app compatible with Android. Which, although in the beginning was dedicated to extracting files only, over time it became an excellent option to manage and encrypt files such as folders, photos, videos, audios and any type of multimedia .
Consequently, 7Zipper is a tool capable of copying, moving, deleting and renaming the amount of ZIP you require , as well as 7Zip, unzip and backups. On the other hand, it exhibits support for a large number of formats, it contains a powerful integrated search engine to locate the data by files and keywords, it can even generate a file with the usage statistics of your installed apps.