Pea Zip is a free, open-source file archiver and archive manager for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It opens and extracts more than 200 archive formats, creates archives in about a dozen common formats, and bundles encryption, secure deletion, and checksum tools in one portable package.
Pea Zip is an open-source archiver and file manager that compresses, opens, and extracts archives on Windows, Linux, and macOS with the same interface. A typical session starts in its tabbed browser: navigate to a folder, select files, and choose an output format, or open a downloaded archive and extract it to a chosen destination. It writes archives in common formats such as 7Z, ZIP, TAR, GZ, and Zstandard, and reads well over 200 others, including RAR, ISO, WIM, and PAQ. The value is breadth plus control: you handle obscure formats, encryption, and verification inside one tool instead of stacking separate utilities for each job.
Security is where this archiver departs from the usual free tools. It supports strong encryption with AES, Twofish, and Serpent ciphers, optional two-factor authentication that pairs a password with a keyfile, and an encrypted password manager, so protected archives stay protected even when a passphrase is weak. A secure delete function overwrites sensitive originals, and built-in hashing verifies files against common checksum and hash algorithms. The project also stays CLI-friendly: tasks configured in the graphical interface can be exported as command-line scripts for reuse in backups or scheduled jobs. Anyone who wants a paid-feature-free rival with similar Explorer integration can look at Bandizip, though Pea Zip leans further into encryption and scripted automation.
The biggest benefit of Pea Zip is that one free tool covers archive work that usually needs several: compression, extraction, conversion, encryption, verification, and secure deletion all live behind a single, consistent interface. That consistency matters when you move between platforms, because the same layout and the same set of formats follow you from a Windows desktop to a Linux workstation. Format coverage is unusually wide for a free archiver, so an old LHA file, a vendor ISO, or a research-grade PAQ archive opens without hunting for a special reader. Portability is another practical win: it runs from a USB stick or a network share with no installation, and the project collects no usage data. For people who automate backups, exporting any configured task as a command-line script removes the need to learn separate syntax.
Key capabilities and highlights.
Pea Zip reads and extracts more than 200 archive formats, from everyday ZIP, 7Z, and RAR files to niche research compressors such as PAQ, ZPAQ, and its own PEA format. That coverage means unusual downloads and legacy backups open in the same window, without hunting for a format-specific reader.
For packaging files, Pea Zip writes 7Z, ZIP, TAR, GZ, BZ2, WIM, ARC, Brotli, Zstandard, and PEA archives. You pick the format that fits the job, choosing maximum compression for long-term storage or a fast algorithm when speed matters more than a smaller result.
Pea Zip encrypts archives with AES, Twofish, or Serpent ciphers, and can require both a password and a separate keyfile for two-factor authentication. That combination protects sensitive data against brute-force and dictionary attacks, which is useful when archives travel by email or shared storage.
A built-in secure delete tool overwrites original files so they cannot be recovered, while hashing functions verify downloads and archives against published checksum and hash values. Together they cover both ends of a safe workflow: confirming what you received and destroying what you no longer need.
Any compression or extraction job configured in the interface can be exported as a command-line script, so a task you set up once becomes repeatable in batch files, scheduled jobs, or backup routines. It is a practical route from point-and-click work to automation without learning a new syntax from scratch.
Pea Zip includes a full file manager with tabbed browsing, bookmarks, and search inside archives, so you can browse a compressed project, inspect its entries, and extract only the files you need without unpacking everything. Treating archives as ordinary folders keeps large projects manageable.
Archives can be converted from one format to another without a manual unpack-and-repack cycle, and a duplicate finder highlights redundant files before you spend storage on backups. These housekeeping tools make it realistic to standardize a large archive collection over time.
Pea Zip runs without installation from a USB drive, network share, or synced folder, and keeps the same feature set on Windows, Linux, and macOS. The project states that neither the application nor its website collects user data, which suits shared machines where installing software is not permitted.
Browse historical releases and previous builds.
Common questions about Pea Zip.
Yes. It is released under the LGPLv3 open-source license, which the project describes as free for both private and professional use. There are no paid tiers and no advertising bundled into the installer, so the same build works in an office environment as well as on a home desktop.
Extraction of RAR and RAR5 archives works out of the box, but creating new RAR files requires WinRAR to be installed on the same machine, because RAR compression is not available under an open-source license. For most everyday needs, writing 7Z or ZIP instead is simpler and just as effective.
It writes 7Z, ZIP, TAR, GZ, BZ2, WIM, ARC, Brotli, Zstandard, and the native PEA format, so you can pick high compression for long-term storage or a faster algorithm when time matters more. Extraction support is far broader and covers well over 200 archive types.
For formats that support encryption, Pea Zip can protect an archive with a password plus a separate keyfile. Anyone opening it would need both, which makes brute-force and dictionary attacks against a weak or reused password far less likely to succeed.
Yes. The secure delete tool overwrites file contents before removing them, which is useful when you are retiring a drive, passing on a machine, or clearing sensitive exports. It pairs naturally with the checksum tools used to confirm that archive contents arrived intact.
Yes. Portable packages run directly from a USB stick, network share, or synced cloud folder on Windows, Linux, and macOS with no setup step. That makes the tool practical on locked-down workstations, or when you need the same setup across several machines without installing it on each one.
Pea Zip is a free, open-source file archiver and archive manager for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It opens and extracts more than 200 archive formats, creates archives in about a dozen common formats, and bundles encryption, secure deletion, and checksum tools in one portable package.
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