WinZip

WinZip is a trialware file archiver and compressor for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android developed by WinZip Computing (formerly Nico Mak Computing).  It can create archives in Zip file format, and unpack some other archive file formats.

Features 
 Pack (create) ZIP and Zipx archive files.
 Unpack BZ2, LHA, LZH, RAR, ZIP, Zipx, 7Z.
 Decode B64, HQX, UUE files.
 Configurable Microsoft Windows Shell integration
 Direct write of archives to CD/DVD
 Automation of backup jobs
 Integrated FTP upload
 Email archives
 Support for ARC and ARJ archives if suitable external programs are installed.

History 

WinZip 1.0 was released in April 1991 as a graphical user interface (GUI) front-end for PKZIP. Earlier in January 1991 Nico Mak Computing had released a GUI front-end for OS/2 Presentation Manager called PMZIP. It used the OS/2 versions of the PKWARE, Inc. PKZIP and PKUNZIP programs. Originally released on CompuServe, availability of WinZip expanded across major online services, including GEnie, Prodigy and other online services. In 1993, WinZip announced the launch of its official support for customers on the Windows Utility Forum, serving over 100,000 members, providing updates and related information. The freely downloadable WinZip soon found itself included in best-selling Windows computing titles as part of companion disks, including the all-time best-selling Windows 3.0 book, Windows Secrets, by Brian Livingston. By 1994, WinZip had become the official and required compression tool used by system operators on CompuServe for forum file libraries.

Starting from version 5.0 in 1993, the creators of WinZip incorporated compression code from the Info-ZIP project, thus eliminating the need for the PKZIP executable to be present.

From version 6.0 until version 9.0, registered users could download the newest versions of the software, enter their original registration information or install over the top of their existing registered version, and thereby obtain a free upgrade. This upgrade scheme was discontinued as of version 10.0. WinZip is available in standard and professional versions. However, the shell in Windows ME and later versions of Microsoft Windows has the ability to open and create .zip files (titled "compressed folders"), which reduces the need for extra compression software.

On May 2, 2006, Corel Corporation, best known for its WordPerfect and CorelDRAW product lines, announced that it had completed the acquisition of WinZip Computing from Vector Capital.

WinZip 1.0 for Mac OS X was released in November 2010. This version is compatible with Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" and Intel-based v10.5 "Leopard" Macs. WinZip Mac Edition 2 includes support for OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion".

Supported .ZIP archive features
 128- and 256-bit key AES encryption in addition to the less secure PKZIP 2.0 encryption method used in earlier versions. The AES implementation, using Brian Gladman's code, was FIPS-197 certified, on March 27, 2003. However, Central Directory Encryption feature is not supported.
 Beginning with WinZip 9.0, ZIP64 archives are supported, eliminating both the maximum limit of 65,535 members for single archive and the 4-gibibyte size limit on either the archive and each member file.
 Support of additional compression methods: bzip2 (9.0), PPMd (10.0),  WavPack (11.0), LZMA (12.0), JPEG (12.0), Zipx (12.1), xz (18.0), MP3 (21.0).
 Unicode support to ensure international characters are displayed for filenames in a Zip file. (WinZip prior to 11.2 does not support Unicode characters in filenames. Attempting to add these files to an archive results in the error message "Warning: Could not open for reading: ...")

Release history

Windows

The ZIP file archive format (ZIP) was originally invented for MS-DOS in 1989 by Phil Katz.

Seeing the need for an archive application with a Graphical User Interface, Nico Mak (then employed by Mansfield Software Group, Inc) developed the WinZip application for Microsoft Windows.

WinZip 1.0 was initial version for Windows.

WinZip 2.0 added support for ARC files, support for self-extracting ZIP files (ZIP2EXE), optional interface to Virus Scan software, dialog box to specify paths and filenames of external programs.

WinZip 3.0 added full support for LZH files, including self-extracting LZH files, configurable support for most virus scanners, simplified options to add and extract files in a subdirectory tree.

WinZip 3.1 added support for Windows 3.1 Drag and Drop Interface, enhanced Extract dialog box with common dialog directory and drive list, Test action for ZIP and LZH files, added file types ZIP, LZH, and ARC to New and Open dialog boxes.

WinZip 3.2 added Built-in ZIP Extraction so that PKUNZIP is not needed for most ZIP extract operations. WinZip always uses PKZIP.EXE to modify ZIP files.

WinZip 4.0 added support for PKZIP 2.0, including built-in ZIP extraction, support for the ARJ file format, new toolbar with descriptive pictorial buttons, added a 3-D look to all dialog boxes.

WinZip 5.0 added PKZIP-compatible built-in zipping, so PKZIP is not needed for basic archive management. Note that two advanced features, disk-spanning and encryption, still require PKZIP. Added support for Windows-based virus scanners. Added built-in Actions/Test operation for ZIP files. Built-in unzipping is used when running DOS virus scanners. Added support for international characters in archive names and files in archives.

WinZip 5.5 added the ability to install, try, and uninstall software packed in ZIP files.

WinZip 5.6 added compression support for the popular Internet file formats TAR, gzip, and Unix.

WinZip 6.0 added many Windows 95-specific features, including tight integration with the Windows 95 shell and Explorer-style dialog boxes. Other enhancements included an improved interface to file viewers, an "Express Setup" option, and better support for virus scanners.

WinZip 6.0a features improved Windows 95 drag and drop support.

WinZip 7.0 introduced Microsoft's CAB (cabinet) format, Internet Explorer 4.0-style "one click open" interface, Zip comments, registry-based configuration, ARJ 2.60 long file name support, Explorer-style fonts. WinZip Self-Extractor Personal Edition now creates Zip files that span multiple removable disks.

WinZip 8.0's Wizard interface was extended to allow users to create and update Zip files from the Wizard, ability to extract and install from MIME and other encoded files, automatic installation of desktop themes and screensavers; addition of Explorer context menu when opening files within archives, inclusion of subfolders when adding or updating archives, "Explorer-style" toolbar buttons, displaying a tooltip when a Zip file is selected in Windows Explorer, WinZip context menus displays  small icons that correspond to toolbar buttons in Windows 98 and Windows 2000; ability to install desktop themes and screensavers contained in Zip files; new 'Zip' and 'E-Mail' context menu commands, automatic display of Zip comments, context menu help in WinZip dialogs, viewing multiple files with one action. Windows extensions are now 32-bit Explorer Shell extensions only. WinZip Self-Extractor Personal Edition no longer supports creation of 16-bit self-extracted archive.

WinZip 8.1 was the last major release to officially support Windows 95. It included the ability to extract multiple ZIP archives in Explorer, configurable Explorer context menus, creation of split ZIP archives, new 'Quick Pick' system tray icon, resizable dialog boxes (Windows 98 or higher), extraction of files from split and spanned ZIP archives in Wizard interface, Windows XP theme support, opening "skin" files for Microsoft Media Player 7 (.WMZ), Yahoo! Player (.YFS), and Winamp (.WSZ), displaying file comments up to 64,000 characters, support for filenames containing multi-byte character set (MBCS) characters, increasing number of entries created by the 'CheckOut' feature in the Programs menu to 500.

WinZip 9.0 added support for AES encryption for ZIP archives, BZip2-compressed ZIP archives (extraction only). It also removed the previous limitations of 65,535 files per ZIP file and maximum file size of 4 gigabytes. This version was released in 2004.

WinZip 10 added support for creating and extracting PPMd-compressed ZIP archives. It was the last major release to officially support Windows 98/ME. WinZip Pro was added in this release, which added automation and task scheduling features. This version was released in 2005.

WinZip 11 added support for creating and extracting WavPack-compressed ZIP archives. The installer still installed to Windows 98/ME, but these operating systems were no longer officially supported. WinZip Pro added Passive FTP support, FTP transfers, e-mail notification option for Job Wizard, custom jobs selection, full-size image viewer when opening archive. This version was released in 2006.

WinZip 11.1 was certified for Windows Vista, with Vista theme support and 64-bit Windows support.

WinZip 11.2 could create LHA archives without an external utility. Unicode file name support for ZIP archives was also added. Support for external archivers, such as ARC and ARJ, was removed.

WinZip 12.0 (2008) added support of creating ZIP archives with lossless JPEG and LZMA compression methods; .ISO, .IMG, 7-Zip archive extractions. Added encryption policies, integrated image thumbnail viewer. The JPEG compression compresses metadata with LZMA compression, while image is compressed with binary arithmetic coding.

WinZip 12.1 (2009) introduces the new default .zipx file extension when creating ZIP archives using methods newer than Deflate64, added automatic resizing images being sent by using Zip and E-Mail functions.

WinZip 13 was skipped.

WinZip 14 (2009) added Windows 7 support, such as library grouping, taskbar icon jump lists, Explorer preview, multi-touch (two finger) gestures.  WinZip 14 Backup edition was added, which supports automatic backup feature. AES New Instructions are used where supported to speed up AES encryption.

WinZip 14.5 (April 2010) added Microsoft Office 2010-style ribbon interface, support for Windows 7 Libraries, Jump Lists, Multi-Touch Gestures, other interface and functionality improvements.

WinZip 15 (November 2010, December 1, 2010): Implemented new performance architecture for high-speed zipping, interface improvements with refined menu designs and more intuitive icons, new desktop ZIP/UNZIP gadget with drag-and-drop functionality, new and extensive email/webmail support (+ Backup function in Pro version). Due to a bug in the first release of this version, when creating backup jobs (*.wjf), the job's file selection needs to be reset/set to have it working properly.

Winzip 15.5 (April 2011): New compression algorithms designed for multi-processor systems that zip files up to twice as fast, new WinZip Desktop Gadget option called 'Folder I Choose' that allows you to create or select a target folder for zipping/unzipping files on a case-by-case basis, dynamic, context-sensitive icons that automatically change to reflect the WinZip tasks available to your specific situation, streamlined processes that remove unnecessary dialogs and cut down on extra steps, the ability to show/hide the Address bar, the ability to instantly jump between any instances of WinZip that you currently have open, the ability to customize the look and feel of your WinZip interface with interchangeable themes, improved destination folder management, so when you open/alter a zipped file's contents directly from an email attachment, WinZip will prompt you to save your work to a new location on your computer (rather than the email temp folder), streamlined 'Unzip and Try' processes that remove extra steps, making temporary viewing even quicker and easier, extended enterprise support that provides IT control over the addition/alteration of e-mail services.

WinZip 16.0 was released on October 25, 2011. It implemented new 64-bit zip engine and added 64-bit version of Winzip, added ability to zip and write files to Blu-ray discs, added integration with ZipSend and ZipShare services, improved capabilities of file conversion from other supported formats to zip, enhanced preview tools for browsing and editing contents of other compressed file types, added System Scanner (diagnostic tool that scans for possible performance issues). ZipSend and ZipSend Pro can send message up to 50MB and 2GB of zipped data per message. ZipShare can post files up 20 MB of data directly to Facebook, for free, and up to 100MB of total data per account.

WinZip 16.5 supports OpenCL acceleration to file compression engine for AMD Fusion processors and AMD Radeon users, streamlined interface.

WinZip 17.0 was released on October 16, 2012. Introduced online sharing to storage and social media sites, image resizing, converting files to PDF, watermark addition, context-sensitive toolbars.

WinZip 17.5 was released on May 9, 2013. New features include sharing and features permission controls, updated and modernized user interface, watermark timestamping, four times faster .ZIP archive extraction, maximum 23GB free cloud storage via Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, SkyDrive and CloudMe (new).

WinZip 18.0 was released on October 31, 2013. New features include support for Xz (LZMA2) compression and additional features such as WinZip Express and cloud backup.

WinZip 18.5 was released on May 12, 2014.  Includes support for ZipShare, send  Zip files by instant messaging (Facebook, Google Talk/Google+ Hangouts, Yahoo! Messenger and Jabber), cloud sharing includes MediaFire integration.

WinZip 19 was released on October 28, 2014.  Includes unified local, network and cloud file management.  Modern UI with touch support.  Adds Enterprise edition for corporate and government use with added FIPS 140-2 encryption.  Enterprise edition can also open and extract VHD files.

WinZip 19.5 was released May 7, 2015.  Adds SmartShare, share via clipboard (cloud links), view thumbnails, auto-hide scroll bars, slide-in action pane.  Enterprise adds VMware file support and VHD files with NTFS compression.

WinZip 20.0 was released October 20, 2015.  New features include extract VHD and VMDK virtual disks, expanded sharing (YouTube), instant message support, scan and share, snap and share, and improved file management.

WinZip 21.0 was released on October 25, 2016.  New features include 16 accounts per cloud service, Other domain access, Enhanced MP3 Compression, Preview pane - image information, Combined Address Book, Dis-aggregation - individual Zip file creation, send What, and inline conversion.

WinZip 21.5 was released on April 27, 2017. New features include opening and managing multiple folders at the same time, tree view of local, network and cloud service folders, replace zip files with their content, create split zip file from Windows Explorer context menu, additional file sharing options via cloud links, option to shutdown computer after Job Wizard backup completes (pro/enterprise only), Administrative access restrictions for cloud services (enterprise only)

WinZip 22.0 was released on October 25, 2017. New features include a prompt to unzip when opening a Zip file, unzip to current folder in Files pane, POSIX Tar support, changes for startup performance, convert images to other formats, remove personal data from files, visible access to Encryption features, encrypt new files replacing encrypted files in a Zip file, Enterprise Wide Password protection (Enterprise only)

WinZip 23.0 was released on November 1, 2018. New features include schedule files for deletion, Direct Access technology for optimized unzipping and viewing of Zip files on cloud services, WinZip Express automation and scheduling (Pro/Enterprise only), WinZip previewer support for more files types (Pro/Enterprise only), Amazon S3/AWS region support (Enterprise only), Drag and Drop add from Files pane, Group rename of files from the Files and Zip panes, Windows Charms support for file sharing

WinZip 24.0 was released on September 11, 2019. New features include file search feature for local, network, and cloud folders, ZSTD compression supportin Zipx compression, Windows Shell Extension support and file/folder pinning in Files pane, additional changes to Direct Access technology, visible access for switching between Zip and Zipx compression, revised background tools for local, network, and cloud service file and folder cleaning, create custom background cleaners (Pro/Enterprise only), combine multiple PDF files into a Single new PDF file (Pro/Enterprise only), Create automated backups from Windows Explorer (Pro/Enterprise only)

Mac
WinZip 1.0 for Mac OS X (November 16, 2010): Initial release is compatible with Intel Macs and can be run on v10.5 'Leopard.'

WinZip Mac Edition 2 was released on June 26, 2012. New features include OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" support, Finder integration and in-place editing.

WinZip Mac Edition 4 was released on June 18, 2015. New features include built-in iCloud integration, ZipShare cloud access, Share button to access OS X sharing options, Retina display support.

WinZip Mac Edition 5 was released on June 28, 2016. New features include support for file sharing using cloud links, applying encryption and image resizing to files already in a Zip file, more options for resizing images, new Actions pane and Quick Action button providing context based access to common features, modified work flow for access to encryption and sharing

WinZip Mac Edition 6 was released on June 27, 2017. New features include a new Files pane for file management and sharing, added support for unzipping gzip files, UNIX tar files, UNIX compressed files, LZMA2 files, BZip files, and vdisk files, latest version of Zipx compression includes LZMA2 compression and MP3 compression, MAC OS X Quick Look tool integration.

WinZip Mac Edition 7 was released on June 27, 2019. New features include one-click unzip, encrypt files before replacing a file in a zip that was encrypted already, require the password before deleting an encrypted file in the Zip file. replace Zip files with the content of the Zip file, user defined filters to control which types of files get added to a Zip file

iOS
iOS version was first released on February 17, 2012. The free English app is designed for iOS 4.2 on iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, and is available on Apple's App Store.

Version 1.1.1 (May 4, 2012) includes following:
 iPad 2 support
 Display icons of corresponding file types
 .csv file extension support
 Bug fixes

Android
WinZip Android was first released on June 19, 2012. The free English app is designed for Android operating system versions 2.1 (Eclair), 2.2 (Froyo), 2.3 (Gingerbread), 3.x (Honeycomb), 4.x (Ice Cream Sandwich) and higher, it was initially available at Google Play.

What's new in version 1.1.0:
 Refreshed user interface
 Create new Zip folders on SD cards
 Unzip folders to a customized destination on SD cards
 Search files within a compressed folder
 Delete file(s) and folder(s) from SD cards
 Fixed crash error bugs.

Sister products
 WinZip E-Mail Companion: Automatically zips all files attached to an outgoing e-mail; replaced by WinZip Courier
 WinZip Courier: Automatically zips all files attached to an outgoing e-mail; supported e-mail clients include Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Windows Mail, Gmail and Hotmail.
 WinZip Self-Extractor: Adds self-extracting modules to ZIP archives. A version called WinZip Self-Extractor Personal Edition is included with WinZip.
 WinZip Command Line Add-on: Adds command line processing to WinZip

E-Mail Companion
WinZip E-Mail Companion version 2.0 supports Microsoft Outlook (2002, 2003, 2007), Windows Mail 6.0, Outlook Express 6.0, and optionally supports Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, or Microsoft Excel (versions 2007, 2003, or 2002). Unlisted support for Outlook 2010 only works with 32-bit versions of Outlook 2010.

Courier
3.0
Version 3.0 was released on September 23, 2010. It adds official support of Microsoft Office 2010, Ribbon UI integration, advanced Zip compression formats (via WinZip), image resizing, Zip file preview, AES-128/256 encryption, MSI installation, automatic updating, alternate extensions, improved support of Word e-mail editor.
Internet Explorer support was added on October 19, 2010.
Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox support was added on November 11, 2010.

3.5
The ZipSend app now requires Firefox 4.0 or later.

4.0
Version 4.0 added support of 64-bit version of Microsoft Office 2010, Internet Explorer.

6.0
Version 6.0 added extended cloud service support including ZipShare and MediaFire, support for ZoHo and GMX mail services, updated support for Chrome and FieFox add-ins

6.5
Version 6.5 added new ribbon icons for Outlook 2103, Web Mail support in Windows 10 Internet Explorer, ability to convert single attachments without zipping the attachment (watermark, pdf conversion, image resize)

7.0
Version 7.0 added support for Office 2016, FIPS 140-2 compliance (Enterprise only), no longer supports Office 2007

8.0
Version 8.0 added support for MP3 compression using Zipx, prompt before zipping attachment option, append date to zip file attachment name option, multiple account support for cloud services

9.0
Version 9.0 added support for latest Zipx compression methods, support for WinZip Most Recently Used Zip list, Schedule for Delete (Enterprise only), Enterprise Wide Password protection (Enterprise only), use message subject as attachment name option

9.5
Version 9.5 added support for conversion of images to different image formats, removal of personal data from various file types, Unicode filename support

System Utilities
WinZip System Utilities was released on February 14, 2011. It includes WinZip Driver Updater 1.0, WinZip Registry Optimizer 2.0.

WinZip-based services
 ZipSend: ZipSend is a file delivery service. On October 25, 2011, YouSendIt, Inc. announced it would partner with WinZip Computing to use YouSendIt's platform to power the delivery service.
ZipShare: A Facebook app

See also 
 Comparison of file archivers
 Comparison of archive formats
 List of archive formats

References

External links 
 

Category:Windows compression software
Category:Windows-only software
Category:Data compression
Category:Proprietary software
Category:Corel software
Category:1991 software
Category:File archivers