Windows 11 File Explorer adds version control, 7z, and TAR compression support

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years.

TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust.

Recap: It’s been an action-packed week for Microsoft, marked by the announcement of Snapdragon X Elite-powered laptops and some new AI-powered productivity features for Windows. At its Build event, which kicked off on Tuesday, Microsoft said it’s supercharging the humble File Explorer with a feature that should come in handy for coders with its new version control and compression capabilities.

For the coders in the house, File Explorer is adding support for version control. The upcoming update will natively integrate systems like Git right into the file manager’s interface. That means you can track changes, view commit comments, and monitor your repo status without ever leaving Explorer’s confines. This could come in handy as it should reduce juggling between your IDE, command prompt, and separate Git tools.

However, there could be potential benefits for non-coders as well. In theory, the ability to sync the latest project files directly to your local drive might aid those collaborating on projects like design mockups.

Click to enlarge

Elsewhere, Microsoft is also expanding File Explorer’s compression capabilities. The current “Compress to ZIP” option in the context menu is getting some company. With the update, you’ll be able to natively compress files into the more modern 7z and TAR formats as well.

7z offers much higher compression rates than the ZIP standard while also supporting robust AES-256 encryption for extra security. Meanwhile, TAR (often paired with Gzip or Bzip2 for compression) is a popular choice on Unix systems and shines when working with large data sets. The support for these formats should help reduce reliance on those third-party compression utilities.

This update seems to build on version KB5031455 rolled out late last year that significantly expanded the archive formats natively supported in Windows 11’s File Explorer. While the OS has had built-in ZIP support since the Windows 98 era, the release embraced a wide range of formats like RAR, 7Z, TAR, and even more obscure ones like TZST and TXZ. But that update only let users open and view those archives. The latest one also allows compression right from the context menu.

On the note of productivity, the new AI-powered Recall feature announced Monday is also worth mentioning here. Recall could allow developers to locate previous work sessions, track progress, and retrieve resources by capturing and organizing snapshots of your work.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : TechSpot – https://www.techspot.com/news/103100-windows-11-file-explorer-integrates-version-control-support.html