is there a free zip program that works like Winzip?

[Revtim]

Another vote for 7zip.

Also, if you use its native 7zip format, you get better compression. And since the goddamn email system here where I work blocks ALL .zip attachments, if we need to send each other something .7z files are not blocked.

[ZipperJJ]

@chappachula

I had no problems with XP. But now I’m using Windows 7–and right-clicking only allows zipping , but no unzipping. Which is pretty damned stupid.

Hmmm…Windows 7 has always had an “Extract All…” right-click menu item for me. I’m looking at it right now. That is how you un-zip archives.

[Clothahump]

@LSLGuy

In addition to Doug K.'s link which tells us that Win10 has both zip and unzip built in, Windows versions starting with XP have included unzip (but not zip) as a built-in function.

I’ll add another endorsement for 7-zip. Great tool if you do a lot of this kind of work.

Me, too. I especially like the fact that 7-zip has a command line interface, so that I can build a simple batch file to back up my important data, then set it to run every 24 hours automatically.

[nate]

@Senegoid

Hey, Luddite that I am, I used PKZIP and PKUNZIP on old DOS machines, since the days when Bill Gates was still in diapers. Throughout my experience with Windows up until a year or so ago, I continued to use those. The only time I ever needed to use WinZip was on occasion when someone sent me a WinZipped file that had something in it that PKUNZIP couldn’t understand.

ETA: BTW, Linux machines come with zip and unzip which seem to be more-or-less clones of PKZIP and PKUNZIP.

That brings back memories. My brain keeps thinking “PKZIP 2-0-4-G”… I guess 2.04g was the version I was using for so long. I think I actually paid for a license too.