That’s it: Windows 11 22H2 supports new archive formats, including RAR and 7-Zip. Does this spell the end for WinRAR, the world’s most popular compression software? Maybe, but it’s not for now.
The latest version of Windows 11, 22H2, now supports eleven new compressed file formats, including the famous .rar from WinRAR. Are the latter, as well as 7-Zip for example, condemned to death? Not yet.
Windows 11 is able to unzip almost all file types
Microsoft has indicated that Windows 11 22H2 natively supports eleven additional archive formats, as reported BleepingComputer. Currently, this support is only available with the optional cumulative update KB5031455 Preview. In fact, we have known this since last May: it was during its Microsoft Build conference that the publisher revealed this change. This new feature should arrive for all users during a future update in November.
The formats affected are .rar, .7z, .tar, .tar.gz, .tar.bz2, .tar.zst, .tar.xz, .tgz, .tbz2, .tzst and .txz. However, Windows 11 has some limitations at the moment: for example, you cannot unzip files protected by a password. Microsoft refuses to comment on this, so we don’t know if this will ever happen. All this was made technically possible thanks to the open source libarchive project. For BleepingComputerthis means that we may see support for other files in the future, such as LZH or XAR.
Towards the end of WinRAR? Not quite
The economic model of 7-zip is very simple: it does not have one, since it is open source. As for WinRAR, its pseudo economic model has become iconic over the years. Created almost thirty years ago, the software offers a free trial version. However, after a while it prompts you to purchase the paid version. Except that clicking on the cross to simply refuse… is enough. Enough to make it a meme, a comical reference from the computer world.
Precisely, when Microsoft announced support for the RAR format, WinRAR reacted by declaring: “It took Microsoft 30 years to implement support for RAR files in the Windows operating system.» A sentence that may sound sarcastic towards Microsoft. On social networks, WinRAR also makes fun of its fake trial version. At the same time, a collective wind was raised and many Internet users finally gave in, purchasing WinRAR. A sort of final bow before the end of WinRAR’s usefulness, a thank you for all these years of service.
WinRAR is not completely dead, however. The company hopes that there will be as many customers as ever so that the adventure continues. In addition, to compress .rar files, you always need specialized software: Windows 11 is (for the moment?) incapable of this. Enough to give WinRAR a few more years of reprieve at least, if we consider that the software is doomed.
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