WinZip Self-Extractor creates self-extracting Zip files. These self-extracting Zip files are ideal for electronic file distribution, because they contain multiple compressed files, minimizing download time and ensuring that important files do not become separated.

Additionally, WinZip Self-Extractor allows the recipient to use a familiar Windows interface to decompress files without a separate unzip utility.

Self-extracting Zip files can optionally run a "setup" or "installation" program, provided by the creator, after the files are decompressed.

WinZip Self-Extractor can create self-extracting Zip files for software installation using custom icons and splash screen, set up and about box text, and can run .exe, .com, .bat or .inf files to facilitate software installation. Standard self-extractors can open any file type in its associated application.

Note that WinZip Self-Extractor 4.0 is a companion product to WinZip and is separately licensed. The current release of WinZip contains WinZip Self-Extractor Personal Edition, a subset of WinZip Self-Extractor 4.0.