License
7-Zip Copyright (C) 1999-2026 Igor Pavlov.
7-Zip is free software with open source.
The most of the code is under the GNU LGPL license. Some parts of the code are under the
BSD 3-clause License. Also there is unRAR license restriction for some parts of the code.
Read file License.txt for full information about license.
Note: You can use 7-Zip on any computer, including a computer in a commercial
organization. You don't need to register or pay for 7-Zip.
Notes from this site
Not part of the 7-Zip manual. Written by this site; examples checked with 7-Zip 26.04.
Short answer
Yes, you can use 7-Zip in a company for free; there is nothing to register or pay (see the FAQ answer on commercial use ). The rest of this box is for people who redistribute it.
Where is the full license text?
Three files sit next to the manual: License.txt (which source files use which license), copying.txt (the GNU LGPL) and unRarLicense.txt (the unRAR terms). The official site is www.7-zip.org .
What is the unRAR restriction?
The RAR unpacking code may be used to handle RAR archives, but not to re-create the proprietary RAR compression algorithm. In 7-Zip, RAR is extract-only.
Can I bundle 7z.exe or 7zz in my product?
Most files are under the GNU LGPL (version 2.1 or later). License.txt names the exceptions: LZFSE and zstd decoding (BSD 3-clause), the XXH64 hash code (BSD 2-clause) and the RAR code. A practical checklist for shipping the unmodified program:
Ship License.txt and copying.txt with it, so the copyright notices and license texts travel along; the BSD text requires this for binaries.
Do not use the names of the copyright holders or contributors to promote your product (BSD clause 3).
Do not use the RAR code to create RAR archives.
If you changed 7-Zip's code or link it into your own program, ask your legal team; the LGPL has more rules for that than for running the program. The same goes for whether you must offer the source: the source is public at GitHub , but this page cannot say what your product owes.
This page is a plain-language reading, not legal advice.
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