For many years, Windows operating systems only supported decompressing zip archives – requiring separate applications for other formats. However, Microsoft has tackled this issue in the latest beta version of Windows 11, introducing native support for various popular formats, including the well-known RAR.
Expanded Format Support and Other Innovations
The implementation of this innovation is seen in test build 22631.2199. The list of archives now supported out of the box includes:
- .zip
- .rar
- .7z
- .tar, .tar.gz, .tar.bz2, .tar.zst, .tar.xz, .tgz, .tbz2, .tzst, .TXZ, and more
Alongside the extended archive format support (extraction only), the latest build features other valuable enhancements, notes NIXsolutions. These encompass improved taskbar behavior settings, novel additions to the taskbar’s functionality, and a resolution for cloud file thumbnail previews within the Start menu. As for the stable OS version’s release containing these innovations, the timing will be announced in due course.