PeaZip manages archives and provides built-in file security and checksum tools.

Everyday archive handling

PeaZip is a file archiver for opening compressed files, creating archives, and working with files that need protection or verification. It can extract more than 200 formats, including RAR, RAR5, CAB, DMG, ISO, and ZIPX, and can convert proprietary formats into open ones. In daily use, PeaZip combines archive browsing with drag-and-drop handling and Windows Explorer context-menu integration, so common extraction and compression tasks can be started from the file manager.

For creating archives, its supported formats include 7Z, ARC, BZip2, GZip, PAQ, PEA, TAR, WIM, XZ, ZST, and ZIP. It can also create encrypted PEA archives. RAR extraction is supported, but creating RAR archives requires WinRAR to be installed because the format is not open. The program’s broad format coverage makes it possible to handle incoming archives and produce several different output types within one interface.

Limits and practical considerations

PeaZip’s extensive controls make its interface busier than a minimal archiver’s. Users who prefer a very light, uncluttered workspace may find the number of available tools less convenient, particularly when they only need basic compression and extraction. Its breadth is most useful when archive formats vary or when file-management tools beyond compression are part of the workflow.

The RAR creation restriction is another important boundary: PeaZip can unpack RAR and RAR5 files, but it cannot create RAR archives on its own. The program is available for Windows 10, Windows 11, older 64-bit and 32-bit Windows, Linux, and macOS. No other system requirements are specified in the available information.

Security and file utilities

PeaZip can protect archives with passwords and includes an encrypted password manager for saved keys. This provides a way to keep frequently used archive credentials in the program rather than entering them anew for each task. For file verification, it calculates checksums using many algorithms, which can help users check whether files match expected values.

Its additional file tools include secure deletion, which permanently erases files so they cannot be recovered, and duplicate search for locating repeated files. These functions are separate from archive creation but make the application useful for routine file maintenance as well as compression. The secure-delete feature is intended for removing files, while checksum calculation is used to verify file data; they address different needs and should not be confused.

Automation, licensing, and workflow

Any job can be exported as a command line, allowing repeatable operations such as backups and restores to be automated. A user can configure an archive task through the graphical interface and then reuse its command-line form in a scripted workflow. PeaZip uses open-source engines including 7-Zip, Brotli, FreeArc, PAQ, and Zstandard, together with its own graphical interface.

Developed by Giorgio Tani and released under the GNU LGPL v3, PeaZip is open source and free for personal and commercial use, with no trial limits, ads, or paid edition. A portable version is available for users who want to run the program without relying on a conventional installation. Together, archive handling, encryption, checksums, duplicate search, secure deletion, and scriptable jobs form a broad toolkit, though the interface and RAR creation requirement remain practical considerations.