Advice Request Compression tool with the best capacity to reduce folders dimension

Share practical recommendations that address the author's needs.
7Z provides the best compression result with medium compression level.

Screenshot 2025-09-07 at 21-29-35 Compression benchmark 7-Zip PeaZip WinRar WinZip comparison.png

for a full comparison: Compression benchmark: 7-Zip, PeaZip, WinRar, WinZip comparison
 
Hi,

I've got a problem. My ext hdd is a bit full. Which is the best software to compress folders I don't use?
Depends in the content you are trying to compress. If you are trying to compress Video/Audio with something like 7zip or winrar, then don't. It's not worth the compute power or time.

For media files, I would suggest re-encoding with handbrake but it comes at a cost of reduced quality.
 
For media files, I would suggest re-encoding with handbrake but it comes at a cost of reduced quality.
Good that you mentioned HandBrake for media files. I used it to re-encode 10 video files, their original size was 1.2 GB. After compression, they became 270 MB. I did not notice a change in quality, I think it depends on the video and the preset used in the encoding.
 
@aidunno Since we're talking about reducing space in general, you can use a feature called "Compact OS":
Compact OS in Windows 11 is a feature that allows the operating system files to be installed as compressed files, helping to save disk space. It can be enabled or disabled at any time using the command line, making it useful for devices with limited storage.
here is how to use it:
 
@aidunno Since we're talking about reducing space in general, you can use a feature called "Compact OS":

here is how to use it:
Can repeated compression/decompression cause excessive write to ssd?
Can enabling compact OS negatively impact the performance?
 
Can repeated compression/decompression cause excessive write to ssd?
Can enabling compact OS negatively impact the performance?
No, it shouldn't. Compact OS only compresses the existing operating system files. This is a one-time operation that rewrites the files into a compressed form. It does not continuously recompress files that are already compressed. New Files and Future Windows updates are also installed in a compressed state. When you use a file, it is decompressed into RAM for use, and it remains compressed on the disk. But remember you are trading-off between the reduced disk reading and the increased CPU usage required for on-the-fly decompression.

 

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