Overview
WinZip has been the default answer to what do I open this with for longer than most software has existed, and the current version is a long way from the simple compressor people remember. Alongside the archiving it now carries a file manager, a backup scheduler, a document conversion pass, image resizing and watermarking, duplicate file detection and a set of connectors that treat cloud storage as just another folder.
The Pro edition is where those extras live, and this build has them unlocked with no trial counter and no reminder screen on launch. It reads and writes zip and zipx, reads 7z, rar, tar, gzip, iso, cab and lha, and its zipx format with the newer compression methods gets closer to 7z ratios than plain zip ever will.
Archiving and the zipx format
Zip is still the universal format and WinZip writes it correctly for everyone. Zipx is the extension that picks a compression method per file type, using a stronger method on the things that respond to it and storing what does not, which produces smaller archives without the all or nothing choice. Anything you send as zipx needs a reader that understands it, so keep plain zip for anything going outside.
Encryption is AES at 128 or 256 bit, applied per archive with the file listing optionally hidden. Split archives, self extracting output and a repair pass on damaged archives are all present. The repair tool is worth knowing about, since a zip with a broken central directory can often be walked entry by entry and mostly recovered.
The Pro extras
The backup scheduler is the one that gets used most. Point it at a set of folders, choose a schedule and a destination, and it produces dated incremental archives without any further attention. Destinations include local drives, network shares and the connected cloud services, and it will keep a chosen number of generations and prune the rest.
Document conversion turns Office files into PDF as they are added to an archive, and can watermark or protect them in the same pass, which is a neat way to send a draft that should not be edited. Image tools resize, convert and watermark in bulk on the way into an archive, useful when a hundred photos need to go out at a sensible size.
Duplicate file finder scans a folder tree and groups identical files by content rather than by name, and the cleaner reclaims space from the usual temporary locations. Neither is deep system surgery, they are just tidy tools that happen to live where you already are.
Cloud and sharing
The connectors mount the common cloud storage services inside the file pane, so an archive can be built straight to one without a separate sync client running. Share links can be generated from within the program, and a large set of files can be sent as a link rather than an attachment.
For anyone working across machines the useful part is that a job configured on one machine exports its settings, so the same backup schedule can be dropped onto another workstation rather than rebuilt by hand.
What you get
- Zip and zipx creation with per file method selection
- Reads 7z, rar, tar, gzip, iso, cab, lha and more
- AES 128 and 256 encryption with optional hidden listings
- Scheduled incremental backups with generation pruning
- Cloud storage connectors mounted in the file pane
- Office to PDF conversion during archiving
- Bulk image resize, convert and watermark
- Duplicate file finder that compares by content
- Archive repair for damaged zip files
- Split volumes and self extracting archives
- Settings and job export for rolling out to other machines
Inside the archive
- WinZip Pro, offline installer, 32-bit and 64-bit
- Shell extension and file manager
- Backup scheduler component
- Image and PDF tools
- Interface language packs
System requirements
| Operating system | Windows 10 or Windows 11, 32-bit or 64-bit |
|---|---|
| Processor | Dual core or better |
| Memory | 2 GB minimum, 4 GB recommended |
| Graphics | No dedicated card required |
| Storage | 600 MB free |
| Display | 1280 by 720 or better |
Installing it
- Unpack the archive and disable real time protection.
- Run setup as administrator.
- Do not launch the program at the end of setup if the readme says to apply the licensing step first.
- Open WinZip and confirm the title bar shows the Pro edition with no evaluation notice.
- Set your default archive associations inside the program rather than in Windows settings.
Mirrors
| Route | Region | Note | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct, primary | Europe | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Direct, secondary | North America | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Torrent magnet | Global | Optional | Online |
Release history
- Backup scheduler generation pruning fixed on network destinations
- Faster duplicate scan on trees with many small files
- Cloud connector reauthentication handling improved
- Zipx method selection reworked for mixed content archives
- PDF conversion output quality options added
- Archive repair extended to split sets
- Reduced install footprint
Questions about this release
Should I send zipx or zip?
Zip, unless you know the recipient has a reader that handles zipx. Zip opens on every system without any software at all.
Is the backup scheduler a real backup solution?
For documents and project folders, yes. For imaging a whole system drive you want a dedicated imaging tool instead.
Does it conflict with other archivers?
Only over file associations. Set those deliberately in one program and the rest behave.
Can it open rar files?
It reads them. Writing rar is not possible in any tool but the format owner's own.
Comments
Pro tools all active. The bulk image resize on the way into an archive is genuinely handy.
Repaired a zip with a broken directory that nothing else would open. Got most of it back.
Comments are read before they appear. If a build stops working, say so here and it gets rebuilt rather than quietly left up.
Set the backup schedule on four machines with the exported job file. Took ten minutes total.