Does Windows have a built-in ZIP command for the command line?

Question

Since Windows Explorer (since at least Windows XP) has some basic support for ZIP files, it seems like there should be a command-line equivalent, but I can't seem to find any sign of one.

Does Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8, 2003, 2008, 2013) ship with a built-in command-line zip tool, or do I need to stick with third-party tools?

I'm not entirely sure why this question is closed. This comes up frequently in the form of "How do I compress my logs?", which is definitely "Operations, maintenance, and monitoring". The question could be rephrased to be narrower, I suppose, but the solutions are general. — alficles, Jul 05 '12 at 20:20
Not sure why this is closed as its the first hit on google for "windows 2008 zip" — AlSki, Nov 27 '12 at 08:46
^I feel the same way (clearly), especially considering the accepted answer. — Electrons_Ahoy, Feb 25 '13 at 19:33
Windows built-in compress/decompress utils - http://stackoverflow.com/questions/28043589/how-can-i-compres-zip-and-uncopress-unzip-files-and-folders-with-batch-f — npocmaka, Jan 25 '15 at 15:32
see [creating batch script to unzip a file without additional zip tools](https://stackoverflow.com/q/21704041/995714), [How can I compress (/ zip ) and uncompress (/ unzip ) files and folders with batch file without using any external tools?](https://stackoverflow.com/q/28043589/995714) — phuclv, Apr 27 '19 at 09:41

score 57 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 11 '11 at 10:55

57

It's not built into Windows, but it's in the Resource Kit Tools as COMPRESS,

C:\>compress /?

Syntax:

COMPRESS [-R] [-D] [-S] [ -Z | -ZX ] Source Destination
COMPRESS -R [-D] [-S] [ -Z | -ZX ] Source [Destination]

Description:
Compresses one or more files.

Parameter List:
-R Rename compressed files.

-D Update compressed files only if out of date.

-S Suppress copyright information.

-ZX LZX compression. This is default compression.

-Z MS-ZIP compression.

Source Source file specification. Wildcards may be
used.

Destination Destination file | path specification.
Destination may be a directory. If Source is
multiple files and -r is not specified,
Destination must be a directory.

Examples:

COMPRESS temp.txt compressed.txt
COMPRESS -R *.*
COMPRESS -R *.exe *.dll compressed_dir

edited Jun 11 '11 at 10:55

Peter Mortensen

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answered Jul 10 '09 at 18:37

Bryan

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Wrong link! Correct links is: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=9d467a69-57ff-4ae7-96ee-b18c4790cffd&displaylang=en – Lars Fastrup Aug 26 '09 at 10:07
1

Can this be used on windows server 2008, too? – Max Dec 08 '09 at 15:43
8

This is a far cry from a usable ZIP client. You cannot compress folders and there appears to be no way to add compressed files to an existing archive. Avoid. – roufamatic Jun 21 '10 at 18:21
Anyone else get "The compressed (Zipped) folder is invalid or corrupted" when you double-click the file compressed with this method? – Jul 01 '11 at 06:15
4

Compress isn't actually a ZIP client. It creates those files that you used to find on MS-DOS and Windows 3.11/95 installation disks. e.g. WINSOCK.DL_ expands to WINSOCK.DLL. You can unpack the files using `expand`. – Bryan Jul 01 '11 at 15:55
`COMPRESS` makes **Cabinet** files, **NOT** ZIP (even if -Z option is specified, the *compression* is ZIP but the *file format* remains CAB). – rustyx Sep 15 '16 at 09:05

score 25 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 10 '09 at 18:33

25

Not that I'm aware of. As far as third party tools goes, 7zip has a pretty nice command line interface and the binary can be distributed with your app in the app's directory, so you don't have to rely on it being installed ahead of time.

answered Jul 10 '09 at 18:33

Chris

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I'm a big fan of 7Zip, but the current issue is on a machine that I don't have install rights on, and there isn't a 3rd party zip widget installed. Thanks, though. – Electrons_Ahoy Jul 10 '09 at 21:50
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Like I said, you don't have to install it. Copy the binary to a folder somewhere and run it from there. – Chris Jul 10 '09 at 22:54
2

Well, you and I don't consider that installing. The IT manager in question does, though, if you know what I mean. :) – Electrons_Ahoy Jul 11 '09 at 18:53
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Ha, so run the 7zip binary from a remote network share :) – Brent Pabst Feb 25 '13 at 19:50
From my employer's "Acceptable Use Agreement": (7) Improper Conduct While Using {company's} IT Assets. (h) Downloading and/or installing unauthorized software, applications or programs. (10) Failure to Comply (a) {company} employees failing to meet this policy may be subject to disciplinary actions, including termination and legal proceedings. – mnemotronic Mar 19 '21 at 14:05

score 22 · Answer 3 · edited Apr 22 '20 at 16:56

22

Powershell does. See:

Compress Files with Windows PowerShell then package a Windows Vista Sidebar Gadget

edited Apr 22 '20 at 16:56

Community

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answered Jul 11 '09 at 08:29

John Rennie

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Sweet! I figured there must also be a powershell solution. – Electrons_Ahoy Jul 11 '09 at 18:53
This is not a command, but a series of scripts. It works though. – cowlinator Apr 27 '19 at 00:25
This url is now broken. – cowlinator Apr 21 '20 at 20:49

MDMarra · Answer 4 · 2013-02-25T20:32:53.073

.Net 4.5 has this functionality built in, and it can be leveraged by PowerShell. You'll need to be on Server 2012, Windows 8, or have .Net 4.5 installed manually.

[Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("System.IO.Compression.FileSystem")
$Compression = [System.IO.Compression.CompressionLevel]::Optimal
$IncludeBaseDirectory = $false

$Source = "C:\Path\To\Source"
$Destination = "C:\CoolPowerShellZipFile.zip"

[System.IO.Compression.ZipFile]::CreateFromDirectory($Source,$Destination,$Compression,$IncludeBaseDirectory)

KyleMit · Answer 5 · 2022-06-23T13:59:40.653

10

Update - Build 1803 (March 2018)

Per What's new for the Command Line in Windows 10 version 1803, windows now ships with tar.exe built-in, which you can use like this:

C:\temp> tar.exe -xf files.zip

Does Windows have a built-in ZIP command for the command line?

7 Answers7

Update - Build 1803 (March 2018)

Further Reading

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