Microsoft to Release Major Update for Windows 11, Bringing New Explorer Design and Expanded Archival Format Support
Microsoft has announced plans to release a significant update for Windows 11 later this year. The upcoming version 23H2 is expected to bring numerous improvements, notably including a redesigned explorer. One particularly noteworthy enhancement is the added support for popular archival formats such as Rar, TAR, and 7Z.
Prior to the release of version 23H2, the native support for Windows was limited to ZIP files. Users were required to rely on third-party applications, such as Winrar, 7zip, and Nanazip, for working with other formats like RAR and 7Z. Despite the availability of several free and paid file compression tools, the introduction of built-in support for these formats will greatly streamline the process of working with compressed archives.
This development poses the question: can the updated explorer effectively replace the need for applications like Winrar, 7zip, and Nanazip for users who frequently work with archives?
To address this question, a comparative test was conducted to assess the speed of extracting files using the updated explorer as well as Winrar and Nanazip. The experiment revealed the following results:
| Archive Format | Conductor | Winrar | Nanazip |
|---|---|---|---|
| TAR | Approx. 80s | Approx. 80s | Approx. 80s |
| RAR | Approx. 6m | Approx. 2m | Approx. 3m |
| 7Z | Approx. 9m | Approx. 1m | Approx. 1m |
The test also revealed that the updated explorer is much less convenient to use compared to dedicated applications. It lacks proper progress