# 7z > File archiver with a high compression ratio. > More information: . - [a]dd a file or directory to a new or existing archive: `7z a {{path/to/archive.7z}} {{path/to/file_or_directory}}` - Encrypt an existing archive (including filenames): `7z a {{path/to/encrypted.7z}} -p{{password}} -mhe=on {{path/to/archive.7z}}` - E[x]tract an archive preserving the original directory structure: `7z x {{path/to/archive.7z}}` - E[x]tract an archive to a specific directory: `7z x {{path/to/archive.7z}} -o{{path/to/output}}` - E[x]tract an archive to `stdout`: `7z x {{path/to/archive.7z}} -so` - [a]rchive using a specific archive type: `7z a -t{{7z|bzip2|gzip|lzip|tar|zip}} {{path/to/archive}} {{path/to/file_or_directory}}` - [l]ist the contents of an archive: `7z l {{path/to/archive.7z}}` - Set the level of compression (higher means more compression, but slower): `7z a {{path/to/archive.7z}} -mx={{0|1|3|5|7|9}} {{path/to/file_or_directory}}`