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Make Smaller guide

Try making a ZIP or 7z archive smaller on Windows

Recompress an existing ZIP or 7z with Make Smaller, keep its files unchanged, and check whether the output is smaller.

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Short answer

Right-click a ZIP or 7z file in File Explorer and choose Make Smaller, then Preserve quality. If the app can make and verify a useful smaller copy, it saves one in the same format. The files inside stay unchanged. An already well-compressed archive may not shrink.

This guide covers Make Smaller. Check requirements and download options before you begin.

Before you start

  • Make Smaller with an active license on Windows 11 24H2 or later, x64.
  • A supported, unencrypted ZIP or 7z archive available locally, with enough free space for processing.
  • An archive reader for testing the output and a disposable folder if you need to extract samples.

Start here

  1. Choose the ZIP or 7z itself

    Select an existing archive in File Explorer. This task recompresses that archive; it does not pack loose files into a new ZIP. Right-click, choose Properties and note Size.

  2. Run Preserve quality

    Right-click the archive, choose Make Smaller, then Preserve quality. Other profiles do not resize photos or videos inside an ordinary ZIP or 7z.

  3. Read the outcome

    Wait for checking to finish. No improvement means no smaller copy was saved. Archives containing already compressed photos, audio or video may have little room to shrink.

  4. Check the saved archive

    If a smaller copy exists, choose Show in folder. Open it in your usual archive reader, compare the file list and use its integrity check if available.

  5. Open sample files and measure the copy

    Extract a few sample files into a separate test folder and open them. Keep the original archive. In File Explorer Properties, compare the output's Size with any upload limit; the app has no target-MB setting.

Check your result

  • The output remains ZIP or 7z and opens successfully.
  • Required entries and their contents are present.
  • The actual size is smaller and the original archive is still available.

When an archive cannot be processed

Encrypted archives and certain compression methods or internal features cannot be processed. Read the result instead of changing the filename extension or assuming all ZIP and 7z files are supported.

A file containing a large amount of already compressed material may have no worthwhile saving. The app does not reduce the quality of that material to force a smaller archive.

Office documents have their own rules

Some document formats use ZIP internally, but Make Smaller recognizes them as documents. Eligible embedded images or media can be adjusted by document profiles. Use the PDF and Office guide for those files instead of renaming a document to .zip.

The app used in this guide

Make Smaller

View app details

Related guides

Sources and further reading