If you download files from the Internet, you have undoubtedly come across Zip files. Documents, pictures, themes, wallpapers and programs are all commonly distributed as Zip files to reduce the download size. With PowerZip, you will be able to access these files quickly and easily.
 
Of course, Zip files are not the only type of compressed files supported by PowerZip. PowerZip also has built-in support for Cab, Rar, Tar, Gz, Bz2, Z, Ace and Jar files so you'll never run into a file which PowerZip cannot handle.

When files and documents are sent via e-mail, they are often placed inside a Zip file to reduce the number and the size of the attachments. You can use PowerZip to open these Zip attachments.

If you send files or documents by e-mail, you will benefit from using PowerZip to package them in a Zip file; you can then send the Zip file as an attachment. Compression will reduce the size of the attachment, so the e-mail will take less time to send and to receive. You can also password-protect the Zip file for privacy.
 
You can Zip & E-mail files with a single click. Your e-mail recipient will be able to use any Zip program ^§ to unzip it.

You can use PowerZip 7 to create encrypted (password-protected) Zip files in order to prevent unauthorized access to confidential documents. You can use password-protected Zip files to store private documents and files or to send them through insecure channels such as e-mail. PowerZip can also unzip password-protected archives created by other programs.
 
You have the option of either using the standard Zip encryption or, for extra protection, using 256-bit AES ^§ which offers a high level of data security. To quickly encrypt a file, right-click on the file (in Windows Explorer / My Computer) and select "Encrypt".

Everyone knows how important it is to regularly backup important files and documents. Unfortunately, all too often, backups are either not done or are not kept up to date. PowerZip makes it easier to create and maintain backups. You can use PowerZip to zip the files and folders you wish to backup into a single compressed archive. Not only is the single archive easier to handle but it is also smaller than the original files.
 
PowerZip also allows you to create PowerZip Macro Files. A PowerZip Macro File stores all compression settings in a file so that a compression (or extraction) operation can be re-played later. This means that you can select the files / folders you wish to store in the backup once and then compress the same files / folders again later (to make a new backup) with a simple double-click.
 
Restoring the backup is equally easy. You can just right-click on your Zip file and choose "Unzip" or double-click on it to open the archive in PowerZip. Doing the latter will allow you to selectively view and unzip individual files in the archive.

Do you have large files sitting on your hard drive - files that you need to keep but only use infrequently? You can use PowerZip to compress these files, saving valuable disk space. And when you need to access the files again, you can unzip them with PowerZip in seconds. If the files you are compressing are of a confidential nature, you can also choose to password-protect the Zip file when compressing the files.

You can quickly create PowerZip Macro Files to automate common compression tasks, such as routine backup. A PowerZip Macro File stores all compression settings in a file so that a compression (or extraction) operation can be re-played later with a single double-click. PowerZip Macro Files can also be executed as part of an automated script, such as a BAT file.

PowerZip is fully compatible with the Zip specification ^§. This means that you can use PowerZip to unzip Zip files created by other programs and other programs can unzip Zip files created by PowerZip. This also applies to other compression formats supported by PowerZip, such as Cab, Arj or Tar/Gz.

PowerZip is tightly integrated with Windows, allowing you to Zip and Unzip files directly from Windows without having to open the main program. You can right-click on one or more files or folders in Windows Explorer / My Computer and select "Zip" to compress the files. You can also select "Zip & E-mail" to zip the files and create a new e-mail message with the Zip attachment, all in one click. Similarly, you can right-click on one or more Zip files or other archives and choose "Unzip" to extract the files.

PowerZip can create and unzip archives types common under Unix (Tar, Gzip, Bzip2), making sharing files with Unix / Linux systems quick and easy. PowerZip lets you create a .tar.gz or .tar.bz2 file in one go - perfect for when you need to transfer multiple files to a Unix machine.

PowerZip can create multi-part (split) Zip and Cab files, i.e. archives that are broken down into several files (e.g. myfile_1.cab, myfile_2.cab etc) instead of being a single large file. Split files are handy if you need to overcome attachment size limitations when sending large files via e-mail or if you wish to create an archive that is split over several CDs (when zipping very large files).