7-Zip 23.01, released in June 2023, brought several improvements and adjustments for Windows users:
Improved Compression:
- Better compression for large executables: 7-Zip now analyzes .exe and .dll files before compression, using the best filter for them – BCJ or BCJ2 for x86 executables and ARM64 filter for ARM64 executables. This can lead to a significant compression boost for larger executable files.
- Adjusted BCJ2 filter: The default section size for the BCJ2 filter was increased from 64 MiB to 240 MiB. This might further improve compression ratios for some executable files exceeding 64 MiB.
Other Tweaks:
- Multivolume archive optimization: For Linux and macOS versions, 7-Zip now minimizes the number of simultaneously open files while handling multi-volume archives (like large .7z files split into parts). This should improve performance and memory usage.
- Executable parsing before compression: As mentioned, 7-Zip analyzes executables to choose the best filter, leading to potentially improved compression and compatibility.
General Enhancements:
- Bug fixes and stability improvements for both the GUI and command-line versions.
- Updated language translations for various user interfaces.
While not specific to Windows, consider these additional points:
- 7-Zip 23.01 introduced support for the WIM image format used in Windows deployment images.
- The command-line version received some new switches and improvements.
Remember, 7-Zip 23.01 was released in June 2023. Even newer versions might be available with further improvements and bug fixes. You can always check our website for the latest updates and download links.