How WinZip is superior to Compressed Folders

WinZip is a full-featured compression utility offering a powerful and intuitive interface, fully integrated local and cloud file management, better compression ratios, strong encryption and much more functionality than Compressed Folders in Windows operating systems. Compressed folders only provides basic zipping and unzipping features.

You can compare the difference between WinZip and Compressed Folders as you would the difference between WordPad and Word or WordPerfect. Windows operating systems have traditionally shipped with WordPad, a program that can handle basic word processing tasks. However, almost everyone uses a more full-featured word processing application.

Here is list of features in WinZip that have no equivalents in Windows Compressed Folders (this is not a complete list).

• Duplicate File detection when creating .zipx files resulting in a smaller file.
• Tool for organizing photo files in the cloud.
• Update the contents of Zip files to match their sources.
• Seamlessly integrate WinZip use with Microsoft Teams.
• Switch between creating a Zip or Zipx file by clicking the appropriate button on the Create/Share tab.
• Pin your favorite local, network, and cloud based files, zip files, and folders to the new Quick Access section of WinZip's Files pane.
• With WinZip Pro and Enterprise, combine multiple PDF files into a single PDF file.
• With WinZip Pro and Enterprise, right click files, folders, drives, or a combination of things to create a WinZip Backup (job file).
• Create a file filter to use when adding files to a Zip file and make it your default. Include such things as saving the Full Path if wanted.
• Rename groups of files and/or folders in the WinZip Files pane or Zip file pane with text and number options you define.
• With WinZip Pro, when using the expanded previewer you can now display them as a slideshow.
• With WinZip Pro and Enterprise, the Job Wizard from the Backup tab now supports file conversions and scheduling files for deletion.
• Download only the necessary information for Zip files stored in cloud services, rather than the entire Zip file each time.
• Schedule a date for deleting Zip files from local and network locations. Pro and Enterprise users can also schedule files saved in cloud services to be deleted.
• Automatically generate a shortened URL for sharing files you uploaded to a cloud service.
• When using WinZip Express and WinZip Pro, save your options, schedule actions to be done, and re-use options you already saved.
• Increase your Share selections through the use of Windows Charms on Windows 10.
• Remove personal information from pictures and document files where they are stored or as they are added to a Zip file.
• Convert photos to a different file type where they are stored or as they are added to a Zip file.
• Unzip Zip files to set locations or one you choose by means of a prompt as you open the Zip file.
• Tab view in file pane; open, view, and manage different folders at the same time in the Files pane, each on its own tab.
• Tree view option for Files pane; move into the file management view and use the tree view to find and work with files quickly.
• Quickly unzip and then delete Zip files using "Replace Zip files with Zip content" on the context menu.
• Select files and/or folders, right click, and select "Create Split Zip file" to avoid having to create a whole, single Zip file first.
• Use Zipx with your MP3 files to compress them up to 20%.
• Use the WinZip Emailer with its Contacts feature to sync and combine your address books for easy use of email features in WinZip.
• With WinZip Enterprise, configured correctly in an App Rule, you can achieve full support of your Windows Information Protection (WIP) policy.
• WinZip Background Tools will alert you about files that can be deleted from a number of specific areas, such as the Temp folder; you can also choose to securely wipe the files.
• Use the WinZip Pro Scan and Share feature to scan your documents and/or pictures, zip them, save them, and/or share them; supported conversions can be used while zipping as well.
• Robust file management features: wipe deleted files and folders, restore accidentally deleted files, copy a path or cloud link to the clipboard, and more
• With WinZip Pro, the new Previewer displays pictures and, when expanded, will display other file contents as well, giving editing and sharing options for the file right in the preview pane.
• Touch-friendly user interface
• With WinZip Pro you can create jobs that will backup files you have stored in a cloud service.
• Convert documents to the PDF format while they are added to Zip files.
• Protect picture files by adding a watermark to them as they are added to Zip files.
• Unzip multiple archive files using the context menu (right click) now includes 7Z, CAB, ISO, IMG, LHA, LZH and RAR as well as ZIP and ZIPX.
• Send much larger Zip files to others using ZipShare and other cloud services.
• Faster zipping with multi-processor support in compression algorithms
• Encrypt your data using AES encryption. Note: The Windows Compressed Folders feature has no facility for providing any encryption.
• Use the Zip and E-Mail feature, even with webmail accounts, to easily compress and email files - if these are JPG files, you will also have the option to resize the photos for significant file size reduction.
• Create smaller Zip files (.zipx) using advanced compression methods like MP3, XZ, LZMA, PPMd, bzip2, WAVPACK, and JPEG.
• Create self-extracting Zip files that can be unzipped by users who don't have a Zip utility.
• Split large Zip files into smaller segments for emailing, etc.
• Use the WinZip Command Line Support Add-on, free to registered users of WinZip, which lets you work with Zip files from the command line or a batch file.
• Display thumbnail images of JPG, GIF, BMP and other graphic files in Zip files without first having to extract the files.
• Support the use of *all* international and special characters. Compressed Folders can only handle a few (DOS characters).
• Use the Unzip and Try feature for examining the Zip file contents on a temporary basis.
• Open other popular archive types including RAR, ISO, 7z, TAR, GZ, BZ2, LHA, CAB and self-extractors.
• Create Zip files greater than 4GB and/or Zip files with more than 65535 files.
• Use the Job Wizard function (in WinZip Pro) to automate the process of creating and updating Zip files. WinZip Jobs are great for your repetitive zipping tasks, letting you specify what files you want zipped, how you want them zipped, and where the resulting Zip files should be saved.
• Upload Zip files to FTP (with WinZip Pro).

Windows Compressed Folders was introduced with Windows XP in October 2001. The fact that millions of users continue to download WinZip each month is probably the best evidence that the power and usability of WinZip makes it a very practical and attractive tool. We feel confident that most WinZip users, after comparing the features of WinZip with those of Windows Compressed Folders, will continue to make WinZip their compression utility of choice.