Windows right-click menu
On Windows, SQZ adds an SQZ submenu to Explorer. Compress any file or folder, and extract, test or convert .sqz files, without opening a terminal.
Install#
- Download sqz-windows-x64.zip and unzip it anywhere.
- Double-click
install.cmd.
It copies SQZ to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\SQZ and registers the menu for your user only, in the registry under HKCU. No admin rights are needed, and other users of the PC are not affected.
On Windows 11 the SQZ submenu is under Show more options (or press Shift+F10).
Compress#
Right-click a file or folder and open SQZ:
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Compress: Smart | The menu's default. Picks the method for each part of the data; about as small as Balanced, usually faster. Shown when your sqz build supports it. |
| Compress: Fast | Quickest; the archive stays fairly large. |
| Compress: Balanced | Usually far smaller than Fast, takes longer. |
| Compress: Maximum | A little smaller than Balanced, several times slower to create and to extract. |
| Compress with options... | A small window where you pick the archive name and the mode. Choosing an existing .sqz adds a new snapshot to it. |
Each entry is labelled in the menu with what it trades, for example "Fast (quickest, larger archive)". For a 158 MB software build: Fast made 88 MB in 0.4 s, Balanced 35.1 MB in 19 s and Maximum 31 MB in 57 s. See Modes and tuning.
The archive is written next to the item: report.docx becomes report.sqz, or report (2).sqz if that name is taken. Selecting several items makes one archive per item.
Extract, export and test#
Right-click a .sqz file and open SQZ:
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Extract to folder | Into a new folder named after the archive. |
| Extract here | Into the folder that holds the archive. Existing files are never overwritten: if something would clash, SQZ stops before writing anything and says what. |
| Export to ZIP | Writes the latest snapshot as a standard .zip next to the archive, for people without SQZ. Every entry is read back and checked before the ZIP is kept. See Sharing archives. |
| Test archive | Verifies every file without writing anything. |
The progress window#
A small window shows progress (file N of M, the archive size so far, elapsed time) and then the result. Cancel stops SQZ and removes its unfinished output. The windows are sharp at 125% and 150% display scaling, and use the SQZ icon.
Using sqz.exe from a terminal#
sqz.exe is an ordinary command-line program. Run it from the install folder, or add %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\SQZ to your PATH to use it anywhere. sqz.exe with no arguments prints its help. Everything in the command reference works the same on Windows.
Uninstall#
Open Settings › Apps, find SQZ archiver and choose Uninstall. Or run uninstall.cmd from the package folder.
Notes#
- The menu starts SQZ at normal priority, and SQZ opts out of Windows 11's power throttling, so it is not confined to the efficiency cores of hybrid CPUs.
- Extraction checks for names Windows cannot create (such as
CONor names ending in a dot) and names that differ only in letter case before writing anything. See Checks before anything is written. - All menu entries were tried on a real Windows PC in September 2026.