How to open a .7z file
7-Zip archive · Compressed archive
A .7z file is a compressed archive made by 7-Zip. Windows 11 23H2 and newer open it natively; on anything older, install 7-Zip or NanaZip.
What a .7z file actually is
7z is the native format of 7-Zip, released by Igor Pavlov in 1999. It is open, and its LZMA and LZMA2 compression typically produces noticeably smaller files than ZIP, which is why it shows up around large downloads and software distribution.
It also supports AES-256 encryption of both contents and filenames, so a properly encrypted 7z reveals nothing about what is inside it, unlike an encrypted ZIP which still exposes the file list.
Why it will not open
macOS has no built-in 7z support and neither does Windows 10, so a double-click does nothing. There is no deeper problem: the format simply is not bundled with those systems.
Renaming it to an extension you can open will not help: changing the extension does not convert the file, it only changes what Windows tries to open it with.
Step by step
Windows
- 01On Windows 11 23H2 or newer, double-click it. Native support covers 7z.
- 02Otherwise install 7-Zip, then right-click the file.
- 03Choose 7-Zip, then "Extract to <folder name>\".
macOS
- 01Install Keka, or run "brew install --cask keka".
- 02Double-click the .7z file to extract it.
- 03For the command line, "brew install p7zip" then "7z x archive.7z".
Programs that open .7z
Our pick, in order. Every one links to the publisher's official download URL and the SHA-256 hash of the installer. Once you have downloaded it, you can check the file against our index before you run it.
If you end up downloading one of these from somewhere other than the publisher, what you can and cannot verify about that is worth two minutes.
- 7-ZipA file archiver with a high compression ratio.v26.02 · 6 hashed installers95
- NanaZipThe 7-Zip derivative intended for the modern Windows experience.v6.5.1800.0 · 2 hashed installers100
- PeaZipA free file archiver utility and rar extractor for Windows and Linux, work with 200+ archive types and variants, handle spanned archives and support multiple archive encryption standards.v11.2.0 · 4 hashed installers95
- BandizipA powerful archiver that provides an ultrafast processing speed and convenient features.v7.45 · 3 hashed installers100
Also registers .7z in its manifest
Taken straight from publisher manifests. Some of these handle the format for a narrow purpose rather than as their main job.
Common questions
- Is 7z better than ZIP?
- For size, usually yes: LZMA2 compresses tighter than ZIP's Deflate, sometimes dramatically on text and source code. For compatibility, no: ZIP opens everywhere with nothing installed. Use 7z for storage and large downloads, ZIP for sending files to other people.
- Can WinRAR open .7z files?
- Yes, WinRAR extracts 7z archives. So do PeaZip, NanaZip and Bandizip. You are not locked into 7-Zip itself.