Supported Archive Formats

Table of file formats supported by WinZip

WinZip can create Zip files (.zip or .zipx), lha/lzh files, and UUencoded files (does not apply to versions earlier than WinZip 12). WinZip can also open and extract from a number of other archive formats.

Archive formats supported by WinZip are listed in the table below. Please note that in cases where the version is listed as ALL , this applies to all currently supported WinZip versions. For a brief description of these archive formats and WinZip's support of them, please see the article Other Archive Support.

Format

|

Version

|

Extension

---|---|--- zip | ALL | .zip .zipx tar | ALL | .tar gzip | ALL | .gz compress | ALL | .z cab | ALL | .cab RAR | 11 or later | .rar bz2 | 11 or later | .bz2 lha/lzh | 11.2 or later | .lzh 7z | 12 or later | .7z IMG | 12 or later | .img ISO | 12 or later | .iso XZ | 18 or later | .xz VHD | 19 or later | .vhd VMDK | 19.5 or later | .vmdk

Note: IMG support is limited to ISO-type disc image files.

Encoding formats supported:

Format

|

Version

|

Extension

---|---|--- UUencode | ALL | .uue XXencode | ALL | .xxe MIME | ALL | .b64 .mim BinHex | ALL | .bhx .hqx

  • MIME encoding generally uses the Base64 format, but also includes plain/text and quoted-printable formats.
  • The Extension columns list some of the most commonly used filename extensions for files in the various archive and encoding formats. This list, however, is not exhaustive.

Note : In versions of WinZip earlier than WinZip 11.2 the lha/lzh formats were supported only with the external lha.exe program. Two other formats were also supported with external programs. For these earlier versions the above list would be amended as follows:

Format

|

Extract

|

Add

|

Extension

---|---|---|--- arj | arj.exe | arj.exe | .arj lha/lzh | lha.exe | lha.exe | .lzh arc | various | various | .arc

If you have any questions about this information, please submit a Technical Support ticket.

Other archive files supported in WinZip

Note: The archive file types described in this article are all supported in the latest version of WinZip. If you have an earlier version of WinZip, the Table of file formats can be used to determine what archive file types your version supports.

[WinZip file icon Zip files are the most common type of archive files that most people will see. However, you may occasionally encounter other file formats. WinZip provides support for the most commonly found archive and compression formats and will be the associated program to open them by default. Unless you have configured Windows to show file extensions, you may not see a difference as they will also display the WinZip file icon. WinZip can extract from all of the file types listed in the table that follows. The Type column lists the file extension, the Create column lists whether or not WinZip can create files of this type (Y or N), and the Format column indicates:

  • A - Archiving; used to group a set of files into one file
  • C - Compression; storing files in a manner taking less space (when possible)
  • D - Disc image; CD/DVD disc image files
  • E - Encoding; encoded files for email transmission
](/uploads/projects/winzip-docs/202610/18e2e45079c8dd9f.png) Type Create Format Additional Information
Zip Y AC The most common archive file
Zipx Y AC A Zip file created with advanced compression; WinZip 12.1 or later (or some other utilities) will be needed to extract the contents
7Z N AC 7-zip compressed archive
B64 N E MIME encoded, also see MIM
BHX N E BinHex encoded, also see HQX
BZ N C BZIP compression format
BZ2 N C BZIP2 compression format
CAB N C Cabinet file, often used to distribute software
GZ N C GNU (zipped) compression format
HQX N E BinHex encoded, also see BHX
IMG N D WinZip only works with disc image IMG files; also see ISO
ISO N D Also see IMG
LHA Y AC LHARC compression format, also see LZH
LZH Y AC LHARC compression format, also see LHA
MIM N E MIME encoded, also see B64
RAR N AC RAR compression format
TAR N A UNIX "Tape ARchive"
TAZ N AC UNIX compressed (.z) TAR file, also see TZ
TBZ N AC BZIP compressed TAR file
TBZ2 N AC BZIP2 compressed TAR file
TGZ N AC GZIP compressed TAR file
TZ N AC UNIX compressed (.z) TAR file, also see TAZ
UU N E UUEncoded, WinZip creates .uue
UUE Y E UUEncoded, also see UU
VHD N D Virtual Hard Disk file
VMDK N D Virtual Machine Disk file
XXE N E XXEncoded
XZ N C LZMA2
Z N C UNIX compression format

Compiled from the official WinZip Knowledge Base (https://kb.winzip.com/)