WinZip Command Line Support Add-on: Complete Installation & Setup Guide

How to Use the WinZip Command Line Support Add-on for Batch Zipping

Batch zipping with the WinZip Command Line Support Add-on lets you automate creation and management of ZIP archives from scripts, scheduled tasks, or terminal sessions. This guide shows installation, common commands, and sample batch scripts for Windows so you can quickly set up automated zipping workflows.

1. Prerequisites

• WinZip installed (version that supports the add-on).
• WinZip Command Line Support Add-on installed.
• Basic familiarity with Windows Command Prompt or PowerShell.
• Administrative rights if installing software for all users.

2. Install the Command Line Support Add-on

1. Download the add-on from WinZip’s official site (or your licensed distribution).
2. Run the installer and follow prompts. Choose the default installation folder (usually under Program Files\WinZip).
3. Verify installation by opening Command Prompt and running:

bat
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wzzip -? 

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wzunzip -? 

You should see usage output for the WinZip command-line tools.

3. Key Commands Overview

• wzzip — create or update ZIP archives.
• wzunzip — extract ZIP archives.
• wzzip64 / wzunzip64 — 64-bit versions if available.
• Common switches:
  • -r — recurse into subdirectories.
  • -m — move files into the archive (deletes originals).
  • -p — set a password (if supported).
  • -o — overwrite existing files during extraction.
  • -ex — exclude files matching a pattern.

Check your installed tool’s help for exact switch names; they can vary by version.

4. Basic Batch Zipping Examples (Command Prompt)

Create a ZIP from a single folder:

bat
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wzzip “C:\Backups\Archive.zip” “C:\Data\MyFolder*.” -r 

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wzzip “C:\Backups\Docs.zip” “C:\Data*.docx” “C:\Data*.xlsx” -r 

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wzzip “C:\Backups\MovedFiles.zip” “C:\Data\ToMove*.” -r -m 

Exclude files by pattern:

bat
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wzzip “C:\Backups\Project.zip” “C:\Project*.” -r -ex=”.tmp” -ex=”.log” 

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wzzip “C:\Backups\Secure.zip” “C:\Sensitive*.” -r -p=YourPassword 

5. Example: Scheduled Daily Backup Script (Batch)

Save this as DailyBackup.bat and schedule with Task Scheduler.

bat
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@echo off set ARCHIVE=C:\Backups\Daily_%DATE:~10,4%-%DATE:~4,2%-%DATE:~7,2%.zip set SOURCE=C:\Data\Important*.rem Create backup (recursively) wzzip “%ARCHIVE%” “%SOURCE%” -r

 
rem Optional: remove local temp files rem del /q C:\Data\Important\temp*.* 

Note: DATE format varies by locale; adjust date extraction or use PowerShell for reliable timestamps.

6. PowerShell Example with Timestamped Archive

powershell
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\(timestamp</span><span> = </span><span class="token" style="color: rgb(57, 58, 52);">Get-Date</span><span> </span><span class="token" style="color: rgb(57, 58, 52);">-</span><span>Format </span><span class="token" style="color: rgb(163, 21, 21);">"yyyy-MM-dd_HH-mm"</span><span> </span><span></span><span class="token" style="color: rgb(54, 172, 170);">\)archive = “C:\Backups\Backup\(timestamp</span><span class="token" style="color: rgb(163, 21, 21);">.zip"</span><span> </span><span></span><span class="token" style="color: rgb(54, 172, 170);">\)source = “C:\Data\Important*.*”

Start-Process -FilePath “wzzip.exe” -ArgumentList “"</span><span class="token" style="color: rgb(54, 172, 170);">$archive</span><span class="token" style="color: rgb(163, 21, 21);">” "</span><span class="token" style="color: rgb(54, 172, 170);">$source</span><span class="token" style="color: rgb(163, 21, 21);">” -r” -NoNewWindow -Wait