When Microsoft added native RAR and 7z extraction to Windows 11 last year, the obvious follow-up question was: When can we create them? With the 24H2 update, the answer is now. File Explorer on a fully updated Windows 11 PC can generate 7z and TAR archives right alongside ZIP — and that correction is just one piece of an increasingly capable built-in toolkit that also includes a smarter Snipping Tool and offline Live Captions.

The Updated Archive Menu in File Explorer

Windows 11 24H2 introduces an overdue addition: the ability to create 7z and TAR archives directly from File Explorer. Right-click a file or folder, select Compress to, and you’ll now see options for 7z File and TAR File next to the familiar ZIP File. Clicking on either opens a compression wizard where you can pick a compression method and level.

This is a notable change because a widely circulated — but now outdated — claim insists Windows can only create ZIP archives. While that was true for earlier versions, Microsoft has since expanded the underlying libarchive integration. The feature is present in the 24H2 release (build 26100 and later) and arrives via a cumulative update; if you’re on an older build, you may still have extraction-only support.

The command line has also been updated. Windows now ships a native tar command that understands TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, XZ, Zstandard, and even 7z, using the same libarchive library. For scripting and automation, that’s a quiet but powerful improvement.

What Archive Creation Means for Different Users

For home users and students

You no longer need a separate utility just to pack up a project folder in a format your friend can open. 7z is popular in open-source communities, and TAR is the standard on Linux and in many development environments. Being able to create these formats natively removes friction when sharing files across platforms.

The compression wizard offers three levels — Store, Fast, and Extra — which map roughly to zero, moderate, and maximum compression. For most documents, photos, and music, the choice won’t matter much because those file types are already compressed internally, but for large text files, logs, or source code, the higher level can noticeably shrink the archive.

For IT professionals and power users

The built-in creation covers basic archiving tasks well, but it’s not a drop-in replacement for dedicated tools in all scenarios. If you need AES-256 encryption, password protection, split volumes, recovery records, or fine-grained control over dictionary size and solid blocks, you’ll still install 7-Zip or WinRAR. However, for scripts that need to package files for deployment or backups without encryption, the native tar command can often replace third-party binaries, reducing the software footprint on servers and workstations.

One security consideration: because File Explorer now makes archive creation a two-click affair, it’s easier for users to accidentally pack sensitive data without encryption. Organizations should couple this convenience with clear data-handling policies and, where necessary, disable the feature via group policy if it conflicts with compliance requirements.

How Windows Became a Self-Sufficient Archive Hub

Microsoft’s journey to broad archive support began decades ago with built-in ZIP handling in Windows Me and XP. For nearly 20 years, that was the only format Windows understood natively. Third-party tools filled the gap, and many users grew accustomed to installing 7-Zip or WinRAR as a first-day ritual.

In 2023, Microsoft integrated the open-source libarchive library into File Explorer, adding read support for RAR, 7z, TAR, GZ, and other formats. The move was a direct response to user feedback: average users were encountering these formats more often, and the internet was rife with misleading download sites pushing ad-laden “zip openers.”

With 24H2, write support has arrived for 7z and TAR. The change means that for the three most common archive operations on an average PC — unzip a download, create a quick package, and open a file someone sends — a freshly installed system can now handle them all without extra software. That’s a significant improvement in out-of-the-box usability.

Getting Started: Version Check and New Compression Options

To confirm whether your PC has the new creation capability:

  1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
  2. Go to System > About and look under Windows specifications.
  3. If the version is 24H2 and the build is 26100 or higher, you’re all set. If not, run Windows Update and install all available updates.

Once updated:

  • Right-click any file or folder (or a selection of items), choose Compress to, and pick 7z File or TAR File.
  • In the dialog that appears, pick a compression method (e.g., LZMA2 for 7z, or TAR only vs. GZIP compressed TAR).
  • Select a compression level and click Create.

The archive will appear in the same folder as the source. The process is intentionally simple — there’s no password prompt, no splitting, and no advanced tuning. For those features, you’ll still need a dedicated application.

Beyond Archives: Snipping Tool and Live Captions Close More Gaps

While archive creation steals the update headlines, two other built-in Windows apps have evolved enough to replace lightweight paid tools for many users.

Snipping Tool: OCR and screen recording in one place

Snipping Tool (launched with Windows key + Shift + S) now does far more than capture rectangles. The editor includes pens, highlighters, shape tools, and — crucially — Text Actions, which uses on-device OCR to extract text from any screenshot. You can paste an error message, PDF snippet, or app dialog directly into a search bar or document without retyping it. Screen recording is also built in (Windows key + Shift + R on supported versions), letting you capture a selected area of the screen with audio, making it useful for quick bug reports or how-to clips.

It doesn’t match a pro tool like Snagit in organizational features or scrolling capture, but for the quick captures and markups most people perform daily, it eliminates the need for a separate app.

Live Captions: system-wide speech-to-text, offline

The Windows key + Ctrl + L shortcut activates Live Captions, which transcribes any audio playing through your PC. It works across browsers, media players, video calls, and games — no internet connection required after an initial language-pack download. Processing happens locally, so audio is not sent to Microsoft. That’s a privacy win and a latency reduction.

On Copilot+ PCs, Live Captions can also translate spoken languages into English or Simplified Chinese in real time. For anyone who watches untranscribed content regularly — or needs captions in a noisy environment — it’s a genuine productivity and accessibility boon. Just remember: it’s not a full transcription service; captions disappear when you close the window, and accuracy varies with audio quality.

The Third-Party Tools You Still Might Need

These built-in features are excellent defaults, not universal replacements. Here’s where you’ll likely still reach for specialized software:

  • Scrolling screenshots: Snipping Tool can’t capture an entire webpage or tall app menu. Browser extensions or tools like Snagit remain necessary.
  • Encrypted archives: File Explorer cannot password-protect a 7z or ZIP file, nor can it open encrypted archives consistently. 7-Zip or WinRAR are still required for sensitive data.
  • Professional transcriptions: Live Captions doesn’t save a transcript, lacks speaker labels, and can’t handle multiple languages simultaneously. For meetings or interviews, a service like Otter.ai or a dedicated recorder is needed.
  • Advanced compression tuning: When you need the smallest possible archive for a huge dataset, only a dedicated tool exposes all the knobs.

In short, Windows now covers the 80% case exceptionally well. You can uninstall that old screenshot app you barely used and stop downloading an archive tool just to open a client’s RAR file. But if your workflow depends on the remaining 20%, the paid or community tool still earns its place.

What to Watch Next

Microsoft’s integrated-application strategy shows no sign of slowing. Future updates will likely bring:

  • Better encryption support: Password-protected archive creation in File Explorer is the most requested missing feature. It’s technically feasible with libarchive but requires careful UI and policy work.
  • Deeper AI in Snipping Tool: Expect more text recognition, redaction helpers, and integration with Copilot for tasks like “extract the table from this screenshot and add it to my report.”
  • Live Captions with export: An optional save-to-file mode with timestamps would bridge the gap between transient captioning and full transcription.
  • Cross-app workflows: Imagine capturing a screenshot, running OCR, generating a caption, and packaging the results into a tagged archive — all from a single Windows prompt.

For now, the 24H2 update delivers a quiet but meaningful shift: you can create the archives people actually use, not just read them. Combined with a more capable snipping tool and system-wide captions, Windows 11 is methodically erasing the list of “first things to install” that haunted new PCs for decades.