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You are here: Home / Tech Questions & Answers / Q&A: Should I use Windows’ unzipping tool or install 7-Zip?

Q&A: Should I use Windows’ unzipping tool or install 7-Zip?

Posted on March 10, 2022

Question from Carla:  My boyfriend is currently working overseas and he sends me lots of photos in zipped folders.

On my old computer I used a program called 7-Zip to unzip those folders and extract the files.

I just bought a new Windows computer and I noticed that there’s an option to unzip folders on the right-click menu.

Is there an advantage to using 7-Zip instead of the Windows tool? All I use it for is unzipping the photos my boyfriend sends to me.

If you recommend that I keep using 7-Zip I’ll download it and install it.

Thanks for your help!

Rick’s answer: Carla, if I were you I would skip installing 7-Zip and simply use the native Windows unzipping utility instead.

7-Zip is in fact a powerful tool, but if all you’ll ever use it for is to unzip the zipped folders your boyfriend sends you then you simply don’t need it.

In my opinion it’s never a good idea to install a program you don’t really need.

Why? Because every program that’s installed on your hard drive takes up space that could be used to store something else that you really do need.

What’s more, every installed program adds another potential security risk to your system.

In fact, 7-Zip itself has already had a number of different security issues come to light (all of which have since been patched).

Bottom line: Unless there’s a compelling reason for using a third-party tool to accomplish a given task, I always recommend using Windows’ native tool if one is available AND if it works well. And that certainly applies in this case.







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