For example, some users may want maximum compression, even if it does mean using more time to archive and unzip it. On the other hand, there are those that prefer lossless compression, and that’s precisely what you can get if you opt for the XZ compression format. This file format is a single-file compression format, so it doesn’t offer any archiving capabilities. However, it does offer lossless compression, making it ideal for those that want to preserve the data exactly how it was. Of course, you can’t talk about compressed data without knowing a method of unzipping it, so we created this article to teach you precisely how you can unzip an XZ file on both a Windows 10 PC and a Mac.

How do I open an XZ file?

1. How do I unzip an XZ file on Windows?

Use a third-party archiving tool XZ file is a compressed file format, and therefore gaining access to its contents involves extracting or unzipping it with a dedicated tool. Since we like using the best available, we also urge you to try WinZip for this particular task, since it is lightweight, powerful, and very versatile in terms of what it can do and what kind of files it can handle. For example. since you may be using XZ files for the sake of lossless compression, WinZip will provide you with safe decompression at incredible speeds, so you don’t have to worry about wasting time. More so, WinZip can also encrypt your data, so your data will also be secured from unauthorized access. Here’s how you can use WinZip to open an XZ file:

2. How do I extract an XZ file on Mac?

Use a third-party archiving tool Similar to the Windows solution, if you’re not an expert in command lines, and prefer GUI-based software, we recommend you give a third-party unarchive a try, and one of the best on the market is ironically called The Unarchiver. Here how you can use The Unarchiver to extract XZ files: These are the most basic solutions if you ever need to open or extract an XZ file on either a Windows or a Mac PC. If you know of other methods that can be used to help, let us know by leaving your suggestions in the comments section below.

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