Compression method | Operating-system support for this compression method |
zip | Both Windows and Linux as well as Mac OS can handle zip files, usually without having to install a separate zip program. |
rar | Usually requires installing a separate compression/extraction program (e.g. WinRAR). |
gz | Gz packages are common in Linux and unix, which usually have their own default applications for handling them, such as gzip. For Windows and Mac OS, there are separate programs with which you can open gz files. |
7z | The file extension of the 7-Zip packing application. |